CA1070156A - Pet food preservation - Google Patents
Pet food preservationInfo
- Publication number
- CA1070156A CA1070156A CA271,177A CA271177A CA1070156A CA 1070156 A CA1070156 A CA 1070156A CA 271177 A CA271177 A CA 271177A CA 1070156 A CA1070156 A CA 1070156A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- food
- moisture
- microbial
- carbon dioxide
- pet food
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
- B65B25/001—Packaging other articles presenting special problems of foodstuffs, combined with their conservation
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
- A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
- A23B4/12—Preserving with acids; Acid fermentation
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
- A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
- A23B4/14—Preserving with chemicals not covered by groups A23B4/02 or A23B4/12
- A23B4/16—Preserving with chemicals not covered by groups A23B4/02 or A23B4/12 in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
- A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
- A23B4/14—Preserving with chemicals not covered by groups A23B4/02 or A23B4/12
- A23B4/18—Preserving with chemicals not covered by groups A23B4/02 or A23B4/12 in the form of liquids or solids
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23K—FODDER
- A23K50/00—Feeding-stuffs specially adapted for particular animals
- A23K50/40—Feeding-stuffs specially adapted for particular animals for carnivorous animals, e.g. cats or dogs
- A23K50/45—Semi-moist feed
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S426/00—Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
- Y10S426/805—Pet food for dog, cat, bird, or fish
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Disclosed is a process for preparing a protein-containing food wherein the use of a carbon dioxide packaging atmosphere is found to unexpectedly increase the effectiveness of edible aliphatic acids and their edible soluble salts, especially sorbate salts, employed for antimicrobial purposes.
In the preferred embodiment, an intermediate moisture pet food containing cooked meat and employing a sorbate salt at a level less than that otherwise effective against mold or bacterial growth, is packaged in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide to provide a pet food stable against mold and bacterial growth.
Disclosed is a process for preparing a protein-containing food wherein the use of a carbon dioxide packaging atmosphere is found to unexpectedly increase the effectiveness of edible aliphatic acids and their edible soluble salts, especially sorbate salts, employed for antimicrobial purposes.
In the preferred embodiment, an intermediate moisture pet food containing cooked meat and employing a sorbate salt at a level less than that otherwise effective against mold or bacterial growth, is packaged in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide to provide a pet food stable against mold and bacterial growth.
Description
:
~ 7~56 This invention relates to proteinaceous foods and more particularly to animal foods of the sheIf stable, intermediate moisture variety.
~ ntil the past decade animal foods were sold either in dry or canned form. The dry Yariety of animal foods usually contains less than 10% moisture and hence does not re~uire ~- Sterili~ation procedures or refri~eration in order to render them resistant to microbial decomposition. The dry animal foods, however, are ~enerally characterized by their lo~ de~ree 13 of palatability~ it being found that as a general rule palat-ability is enhanced at higher moisture cont~nts.
Canned animal foods enjoy a significant degree of palatability owing primarily to their high moisture contents, typically in the area of 75%. However, this high moisture content necessitates the sterilization of such products, general-ly by retorting, and refrigeration once the can is opened.
Thus, canned foods involve significant processing costs and a lack o consumer convenience.
A signi~icant contribution in the animal food field .
was made by Burgess, et al. in U.S. Patent 3,202,514. Therein is described a pasteurized intermediate-moisture animal food based principally upon proteinaceous meaty materials which - product is shelf-stable and resistant to microbial decomposition without the need for steriliza-tion, refrigeration or aseptic ~ packaging. The meaty animal food is stabilized by "water ; soluble solutes", principally sugarO The function of these ~ SOlUtes is to bind up available water in which microorganisms - grow.
,~
~ 7~56 This invention relates to proteinaceous foods and more particularly to animal foods of the sheIf stable, intermediate moisture variety.
~ ntil the past decade animal foods were sold either in dry or canned form. The dry Yariety of animal foods usually contains less than 10% moisture and hence does not re~uire ~- Sterili~ation procedures or refri~eration in order to render them resistant to microbial decomposition. The dry animal foods, however, are ~enerally characterized by their lo~ de~ree 13 of palatability~ it being found that as a general rule palat-ability is enhanced at higher moisture cont~nts.
Canned animal foods enjoy a significant degree of palatability owing primarily to their high moisture contents, typically in the area of 75%. However, this high moisture content necessitates the sterilization of such products, general-ly by retorting, and refrigeration once the can is opened.
Thus, canned foods involve significant processing costs and a lack o consumer convenience.
A signi~icant contribution in the animal food field .
was made by Burgess, et al. in U.S. Patent 3,202,514. Therein is described a pasteurized intermediate-moisture animal food based principally upon proteinaceous meaty materials which - product is shelf-stable and resistant to microbial decomposition without the need for steriliza-tion, refrigeration or aseptic ~ packaging. The meaty animal food is stabilized by "water ; soluble solutes", principally sugarO The function of these ~ SOlUtes is to bind up available water in which microorganisms - grow.
,~
-2-~'7~ 6 While the product of Burgess, et al. represented a significant contribution to the state of the art, the need for improvement in this area has been and continues to be recogniæed.
More specifically, prior art workers have attempted to improve khe palatability of such products such that they achieve parity in this area with the more palatable canned animal foods.
Palatability improvement may take a variety of forms, such as the overt addition of enhancers, the elimination of negative taste actors, the utilization of greater amounts of meaty materials, and increasing the moisture content.
Among the known negative factors in intermediate moisture animal foods are certain of the stabilizers, especially at relatively high leveIs. Thus, elimination or reduction in the leveI of these stabilizers would provide a boost in palat-ability. Morebver, reduction of the level of stabilizers re~uired would also reduce costs, permitting a net savings or the use of more costly, flavorful ingredients in a product to be sold at the same price. Thus, by reducing the negative factors of the stabilizers, more of the positive factors of the animal 2~ food are allowed to exert their effect.
Among the stabilizers suggested by surgess et al. are antimycotics such as sorbate salts and sorbic acid. Preferred sorbate salts are potassium, sodium and calcium sorbate. For all of these sorbates, it is known that their activity as anti-microbials decreases with increasing p~I. Thus, where pH is - maintained at substantially neutral values to assure palatability of a food for dogs, the amount of sorbate must be increased to assure effective protection. And, because the sorbates are '"
perceived as negative factors, the palatability at the near neutral pH is not as good as it would othexwise be because of -these increased levels of sorbates. Other stabilizers which are known are edible aliphatic acids and their edible soluble salts, such as the acid and sodium and potassium salts of caproic, caprylic and propionic acids.
Thus, there is indeed a problem in properly stabilizing mold and bacteria susceptible foods, especially pasteurized intermediate moisture animal foods of the kind discussed by Burgess et al. ~ontaining sorbate and other aliphatic acid stabilizers.
The present invention provides an improved process for :
preparing a food containing mold and bacteria susceptible ingredients wherein c~proic, caprylic, propionic and/or sorbic acid or a non-toxic salt thereof is employed as an antimicxobial wherein the improvement comprises:
packaging the food in a substantially gas impervious packaging material, and -filling the free space in the package with carbon dio~ide.
Central to the present invention is the discovery of an unexpected coaction between carbon dioxide and edible aliphatic acid antimicrobials, such as sorbic acid, and their soluble salts. It has been ound that by packaging intermediate mois-ture foods, especially protein containing pet foods, in a carbon dioxide atmOsphere~ the activity of sorbic acid or sorbate salts as antibacterials and antimycotics is unexpectedly enhanced.
Also included within the definition of this invention are the similar effec-ts obtained by the use of carbon dioxide with other aliphatic acids and their salts having antimicrobial properties;
among which are caprylic, caproic, and propionic acids and their sodium and potassium sal-ts. This improved activity is not due to the known increase in activity with decreasing pH, because tests indicate that the pH of the product is not measurably ,~ decreased by the carbon dioxide. By virtue of the present in-vention, suitable bacteriological and mold stability can be obtained with lower levels of these stabilizers, thus enabling the production of mold and bacteria stable foods, such as intermediate-moisture pet foods, of improved palatability. The ' following discussion will reLate to sorbic acid and its salts in intermediate-moisture animal foods as exemplary.
The preservation of moisture-containing foods from microbial decomposition is dependent upon a variety of factors , and mechanisms whose interaction is not always fully understood.
However, some basic mechanisms are generally well accepted, and can be discussed at this point to aid in understanding the invention.
- Microbial growth is largely dependent upon the amount of moisture in a system available as a growth medium.
Microbial growth is largely dependent upon the amount , of moisture in a system available as a growth'medium. The ' typical expression of this is the water ac-tivity, Aw, of a product. The Aw is equal to the vapor pressure of water in the system divided by the vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature. Theoretically, the Aw f a given system can be lowered to such a degree that the water is not sufficiently available to support any microbial growth. However,,to achieve the prOper taste and texture for the products contemplated by ~7~i6 this present invention, it is not possible as a practical matter to obtain these low Aw values. Where the Aw of the system is not lowered to the absolute point below which organisms will not grow, antimicrobials are also added. Typically, these anti-microbial agents are added to control mold growth which is not sufficiently retarded at the Aw values involved.
Lastly, the provision of an acid medium of sufficient-1~ low pH will aid in preventing microbial decomposition owing to the ~act that many organisms cannot survive in such an environment. However, since the requisite pH for achieving this protection is generally so low as to result in an unpalatable, as well as detrimental, system in some cases, the utilization of .:
p~ as a primary protective is rarely employed. And, for dog foods especially, it is undesirable to lower the p~I substantial-ly below neutral.
The usual preservative mechanisms are generally based on a combination of the above principles and exert a combined - stabilizing effect. Thus, for example, the prior art products generally employ sugars as water binders together with anti-mycotics such as sorbic acid and its sal-ts.
The product which i5 treated by the process of -this invention preferably comprises a moisture-containing, matrix of proteinaceous materials normally capable of supporting bacterio-logical and/or mycotic growth, having dispersed throughout water binding ingredients sufficient to achieve an Aw of beIow about 0.93, and further having in contact therewith an aliphatic acid, ~ .
such as sorbic acid, or aliphatic acid salt antimicrobial agent~
The level of the water binding ingredients and antimicrobial :
7~
agent is sufficient to keep the product resistant to microbial growth and decomposition when packaged in a carbon dioxide atmosphere according to the present process. The level of antimicrobial agents and Aw lowering ingredients will be balanced to achieve stability at the given moistuxe content. For example, it may be necessary to employ only a minor amount of antimicro-bial agent where the Aw of a given intermediate moisture system is at a level nearly precluding all growth. ConverseIy, larger amounts of antimicrobial agents may be needed in a moisture containing system wherein the Aw is closer to 0.93. It is possible according to this invention to employ levels of sorbate salt or sorbic acid antimicrobials below those normally effect-ive to prevent mycotic or bacterial growth in the absence of carbon dioxide.
Useful as water binding ingredients are any of the : edible materials, either soluble or insoluble, which have the ability to tie up water to such an extent that it is no longer usable for microbial growth and propagation. Exemplary of this group of materials are sugars, polyhydric alcohols, mixtures therebf, and mixtures of alkali metal or alkaline earth salts with sugar and/or one or more polyhydric alcohols.
The polyhydric alcohols useful as preservatives in the present invention are preferably polyhydric alcohols having from
More specifically, prior art workers have attempted to improve khe palatability of such products such that they achieve parity in this area with the more palatable canned animal foods.
Palatability improvement may take a variety of forms, such as the overt addition of enhancers, the elimination of negative taste actors, the utilization of greater amounts of meaty materials, and increasing the moisture content.
Among the known negative factors in intermediate moisture animal foods are certain of the stabilizers, especially at relatively high leveIs. Thus, elimination or reduction in the leveI of these stabilizers would provide a boost in palat-ability. Morebver, reduction of the level of stabilizers re~uired would also reduce costs, permitting a net savings or the use of more costly, flavorful ingredients in a product to be sold at the same price. Thus, by reducing the negative factors of the stabilizers, more of the positive factors of the animal 2~ food are allowed to exert their effect.
Among the stabilizers suggested by surgess et al. are antimycotics such as sorbate salts and sorbic acid. Preferred sorbate salts are potassium, sodium and calcium sorbate. For all of these sorbates, it is known that their activity as anti-microbials decreases with increasing p~I. Thus, where pH is - maintained at substantially neutral values to assure palatability of a food for dogs, the amount of sorbate must be increased to assure effective protection. And, because the sorbates are '"
perceived as negative factors, the palatability at the near neutral pH is not as good as it would othexwise be because of -these increased levels of sorbates. Other stabilizers which are known are edible aliphatic acids and their edible soluble salts, such as the acid and sodium and potassium salts of caproic, caprylic and propionic acids.
Thus, there is indeed a problem in properly stabilizing mold and bacteria susceptible foods, especially pasteurized intermediate moisture animal foods of the kind discussed by Burgess et al. ~ontaining sorbate and other aliphatic acid stabilizers.
The present invention provides an improved process for :
preparing a food containing mold and bacteria susceptible ingredients wherein c~proic, caprylic, propionic and/or sorbic acid or a non-toxic salt thereof is employed as an antimicxobial wherein the improvement comprises:
packaging the food in a substantially gas impervious packaging material, and -filling the free space in the package with carbon dio~ide.
Central to the present invention is the discovery of an unexpected coaction between carbon dioxide and edible aliphatic acid antimicrobials, such as sorbic acid, and their soluble salts. It has been ound that by packaging intermediate mois-ture foods, especially protein containing pet foods, in a carbon dioxide atmOsphere~ the activity of sorbic acid or sorbate salts as antibacterials and antimycotics is unexpectedly enhanced.
Also included within the definition of this invention are the similar effec-ts obtained by the use of carbon dioxide with other aliphatic acids and their salts having antimicrobial properties;
among which are caprylic, caproic, and propionic acids and their sodium and potassium sal-ts. This improved activity is not due to the known increase in activity with decreasing pH, because tests indicate that the pH of the product is not measurably ,~ decreased by the carbon dioxide. By virtue of the present in-vention, suitable bacteriological and mold stability can be obtained with lower levels of these stabilizers, thus enabling the production of mold and bacteria stable foods, such as intermediate-moisture pet foods, of improved palatability. The ' following discussion will reLate to sorbic acid and its salts in intermediate-moisture animal foods as exemplary.
The preservation of moisture-containing foods from microbial decomposition is dependent upon a variety of factors , and mechanisms whose interaction is not always fully understood.
However, some basic mechanisms are generally well accepted, and can be discussed at this point to aid in understanding the invention.
- Microbial growth is largely dependent upon the amount of moisture in a system available as a growth medium.
Microbial growth is largely dependent upon the amount , of moisture in a system available as a growth'medium. The ' typical expression of this is the water ac-tivity, Aw, of a product. The Aw is equal to the vapor pressure of water in the system divided by the vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature. Theoretically, the Aw f a given system can be lowered to such a degree that the water is not sufficiently available to support any microbial growth. However,,to achieve the prOper taste and texture for the products contemplated by ~7~i6 this present invention, it is not possible as a practical matter to obtain these low Aw values. Where the Aw of the system is not lowered to the absolute point below which organisms will not grow, antimicrobials are also added. Typically, these anti-microbial agents are added to control mold growth which is not sufficiently retarded at the Aw values involved.
Lastly, the provision of an acid medium of sufficient-1~ low pH will aid in preventing microbial decomposition owing to the ~act that many organisms cannot survive in such an environment. However, since the requisite pH for achieving this protection is generally so low as to result in an unpalatable, as well as detrimental, system in some cases, the utilization of .:
p~ as a primary protective is rarely employed. And, for dog foods especially, it is undesirable to lower the p~I substantial-ly below neutral.
The usual preservative mechanisms are generally based on a combination of the above principles and exert a combined - stabilizing effect. Thus, for example, the prior art products generally employ sugars as water binders together with anti-mycotics such as sorbic acid and its sal-ts.
The product which i5 treated by the process of -this invention preferably comprises a moisture-containing, matrix of proteinaceous materials normally capable of supporting bacterio-logical and/or mycotic growth, having dispersed throughout water binding ingredients sufficient to achieve an Aw of beIow about 0.93, and further having in contact therewith an aliphatic acid, ~ .
such as sorbic acid, or aliphatic acid salt antimicrobial agent~
The level of the water binding ingredients and antimicrobial :
7~
agent is sufficient to keep the product resistant to microbial growth and decomposition when packaged in a carbon dioxide atmosphere according to the present process. The level of antimicrobial agents and Aw lowering ingredients will be balanced to achieve stability at the given moistuxe content. For example, it may be necessary to employ only a minor amount of antimicro-bial agent where the Aw of a given intermediate moisture system is at a level nearly precluding all growth. ConverseIy, larger amounts of antimicrobial agents may be needed in a moisture containing system wherein the Aw is closer to 0.93. It is possible according to this invention to employ levels of sorbate salt or sorbic acid antimicrobials below those normally effect-ive to prevent mycotic or bacterial growth in the absence of carbon dioxide.
Useful as water binding ingredients are any of the : edible materials, either soluble or insoluble, which have the ability to tie up water to such an extent that it is no longer usable for microbial growth and propagation. Exemplary of this group of materials are sugars, polyhydric alcohols, mixtures therebf, and mixtures of alkali metal or alkaline earth salts with sugar and/or one or more polyhydric alcohols.
The polyhydric alcohols useful as preservatives in the present invention are preferably polyhydric alcohols having from
3 to 7 carbon atoms. Preferred di-hydric alcohols are lr2-propylene glycol and 1,3-butylene glycol. Glycerine, a tri-:
hydric alcohol, is a very effective water binder and may be usedalone or in combination with a dî-hydric alcohol. Other useful polyhydric alcohols include tetritols such as erythritol or the :
~7~3~56 threitols; pentitols such as ribitol or xylitol; hexitols such as sorbitol or mannitol; and heptitols such as perseitol or volemitol.
Sugars useful as water binding agents in the present invention include the reducing and non-reducing water soluble mono- and polysaccharides; e.g., pentoses such as xylose and arbinosej hexoses such as glucose, fructose or galactose; and disaccharides such as lactose, sucrose and maltose. To be efective as a bacteriostatic agent, the sugar must be water soluble and of such a low .nolecular weight as to be effective in increasing the osmotic pressure of the aqueous system in which it is dissolved. Preferred sugars for the purposes of this invention are sucrose, dextrose and highIy converted corn syrups, especially high fructose corn syrups.
~ arious alkali metal and alkaline earth metal halide salts are also ef~ective water binding agents, but these salts must be used in combination with sugars or polyhydric alcohols where the moisture level of the protein is above 15% by weight.
This is due to the fact that most salts cannot be used in the products of this invention at levels of above about 4% by weight without posing health problems and seriously detracting from product palatability. Preferred salts are sodium chIoride and calcium chloxide.
The preEerred leveI of salt addition ranges from about 0.5 to
hydric alcohol, is a very effective water binder and may be usedalone or in combination with a dî-hydric alcohol. Other useful polyhydric alcohols include tetritols such as erythritol or the :
~7~3~56 threitols; pentitols such as ribitol or xylitol; hexitols such as sorbitol or mannitol; and heptitols such as perseitol or volemitol.
Sugars useful as water binding agents in the present invention include the reducing and non-reducing water soluble mono- and polysaccharides; e.g., pentoses such as xylose and arbinosej hexoses such as glucose, fructose or galactose; and disaccharides such as lactose, sucrose and maltose. To be efective as a bacteriostatic agent, the sugar must be water soluble and of such a low .nolecular weight as to be effective in increasing the osmotic pressure of the aqueous system in which it is dissolved. Preferred sugars for the purposes of this invention are sucrose, dextrose and highIy converted corn syrups, especially high fructose corn syrups.
~ arious alkali metal and alkaline earth metal halide salts are also ef~ective water binding agents, but these salts must be used in combination with sugars or polyhydric alcohols where the moisture level of the protein is above 15% by weight.
This is due to the fact that most salts cannot be used in the products of this invention at levels of above about 4% by weight without posing health problems and seriously detracting from product palatability. Preferred salts are sodium chIoride and calcium chloxide.
The preEerred leveI of salt addition ranges from about 0.5 to
4.0% by weight.
The amount and choice of preservative employed in the present invention will depend on the amount of moisture present in the product and the organoleptic eEfect desired. Sugar may be :
~., -~7~6 used as the sole preservative; however, according to U.S.
3,202,514 it must be emplo~ed in this case at a level at least e~ual to the moisture content of the food. When the moisture leveI is in excess of about 30% by weight, it is preferred to use sugar in combination with one or more of the other preserva-tives or water binders disclosed hereinabove. The level of sugar which may be present in a shelE stable product of this invention will range from about 4 to 35% by weight.
Polyhydric alcohols or mixtures of polyhydric alcohols may be used as a preservative for those products where sweetness ; is undesirable. These materials are more eficient in prevent-ing microbial spoilage than sugar, and hence can be used in lesser ~uantities. The preferred leveI of addition ranges from about 7 to 20% by weight. Where -the polyhydric alcohol is used in combination with a salt or sugar, the preferred level of addition ranges ~rom about 2 to 13~ by weight.
The term "proteinaceous material" is meant to include proteinaceous meaty materials and non-meat protein materials. It is preferred for palatability that the products treated by the process of this invention contain proteinaceous meaty material.
The term proteinaceous meaty material refers to the group consis-ting of meat, meat by-products and meat meal, as well as mixtures of these. The term meat is understood to apply not only to the flesh of cattle, swine, sheep and goats, but also horses, whale and other mammals, poultry and fish. The term meat by-products is intended to refer to those non-rendered parts of the carcass of slaughterea animals including but not restricted to mammals, poultry and the like and including such ingredients as are ' ,,,, g_ '' ' G
embraced by the term "meat by-products" as defined in the 1975 Oficial Publication of the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. Likewise, the term meat meal refers to the finely ground, dry rendered residue from animal tissues, in-cluding those dried residues embraced by the term "meat meal" as defined by the aforesaid Association. Indeed, the terms meat, meat by-products, and meat meal are understood to apply to all of those animal, poultry and marine products defined by said Ass~ciation. In all cases where meat is employed, it is pre-ferred that it be heated for times and at temperatures effective ` to pasteurize it. In the case of dry meat meals, the drying temperatures are effective for this purpose.
The proteinaceous meaty material will preferablyconstikute a significant portion of the products, typically ~reater than about 10go by weight and preferably greater than 30%. A typical range for such ingredient is about 20% to 50% by weight, but can be as high as about 80%.
Apart from the proteinaceous meaty material and the preservation system, the preferred products contemplated for ~ 20 treatment according to the process of this invention may option-- allyt though preferably, contain other proteinaceous ingredients, texturizers, vitamins, minerals, colorings, flavorants, and the like. Fat or oil may be desirably added, preferabIy in the source ingredients although it may be sprayed or coated on the final product.
- ~on-meat proteinaceous materials, i.e., protein sources other than the proteinaceous meaty material, are preferably employed to achieve a fully balanced, nutritional feed ration.
, i ' ;, --10--,.'' '.
~L~7~6 .
Where desired, however, they can be used as the sole protein source. Typically, the protein will be derived from a vegetable protein source such as soybean, cottonseed, peanuts and the like. The protein may be present in the form of meal, flour, - concentrate, isolate or the like. A preferred protein source is soy. Textured protein materials simulating natural meat can also be employed. ~dditional protein may be derived from milk products such as dried buttermilk, dried skimmed milk, whey, casein, and other like protein sources, such as eggs or cheese.
10~hile these additional protein sources are generally .~ .
mixed with the starting ingredients, all or part of some of these protein materials may be used to coat the otherwise formed final product.
Texturizing agents may be added at minor weight per-cents if desired, although it is found that the utilization of the polyhydric alcohols such as propylene glycol, butylene glycol, glycerol etc., employed as preservatives will generally - be sufficient to impart the necessary plasticity and texture to the final product.
~The animal food composition can also contain a binder material in an amount effective to keep the formed composition .
coherent and shape-retaining after cooking. The binder material may be of the proteinaceous or farinaceous variety such as egg albumin, wheat flour, corn flour and the like or may be a poly-meric carbohydrate binder such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, gelatin, alpha-cellulose, and the like. The binder is preferably employed in higher moisture products (e.g. above about 30%
water) at from about 3% to 10% by weight and most preferably from about 5 to 8%.
' ;,--11--, ::
1~37 . .
The above ingredients are then processed according to techniques known to the art. These procedures involve pasteur-izing the meat alone or with the other ingredients, shaping the product and packaging. Typical of the known procedures is that described in U.S. patent 3,202,514. The pasteurization necess-ary when meats are employed, not only reduces the bacterial content of the material, but also eliminates natural enzyme activity present in either the meaty or other ingredients.
,~
The improvement provided for by the present invention calls for sealing the package having substantially all void spaces therein filled with carbon dioxide. If desired, the product can be degassed and/or flushed with carbon dioxide prior to packaging. To be effective over reasonable periods of stor-age, the packaging material must be substantially impervious to gases such`as water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen. Typical of suitable packaging materials are polyethylene-coated aluminum foil and polyvinylidene chloride-coated polyethylene. Other suitable materials are also known to those skilled in the art, - as is the e~uipment capable of feeding the food into such pack-ages, flushing the package with carbon dioxide as by probe within the package during filling, and sealing the packages such as by heat sealing.
The following example is presented for the purpose of further explaining and illustrating the present invention and is not to be taken as limiting in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight.
:,.
3~97~
'EXAMPLE , An intermediate moisture dog food having an Aw of about 0.86-0.87 was prepared from the following formulation:
Meat S'l'urry E'ormula Beef Trims - lO.0 Parts Beef Tripe - 2400 Parts ' Corn Syrup - 3O0 Parts " Emulsifier - 0.5 Parts 37.5 Parts Dry Ingredients Soy Flakes - 33.0 Parts Sucrose - 16.5 Parts Soy Hulls - 2.0 Parts Dicalcium Phosphate~ - 3.1 Parts Whey - 1.5 Parts Salt - 1.2 Parts `, Vitamins - 0.1364 Parts Color -' 0.0234 Parts 57.4598 ," 20 To prepare the dog food, the beef trims and tripe were chopped in frozen condition and extruded through a 1/8" die using a Hobart* grinder. This ground material was~then placed in a ,' jacketed slgma bIade mixer and the corn syrup and emulsiier were added. The resulting slurry was thoroughly mixed as it was .
heated to about 200F. The listed dry ingredients were then batched and pre-mixed in a ~obart* mixer. The resulting uniform dry mix was then added to the heated slurry and the total mix '' heated to about 180~ under constant agita-tion. This total mix was then transferred to a flat tray for cooling to room temper-ature,',packed in sealed polymer film bags, and placed in 0F
,' storage for at least 24 hours. The samples remained frozen until ; use,,at which time they were thawed.
' ~.'' *Trademark .:
;.
"',' "
:
: ~
~7~
The dog food, thus prepared, was employed in the three following experiments using the indicated inocula and with the following results:
(a) Staphylococcus Inoculum 1.5x10 organisms~g ,~
: ~ .
Count-Organisms/g Time ~ - ~
(Days) Control CO2 0.3% Sorbate0.3~ Sorbate+CO2 3 6x105 5x105 lx105 2x105 : 7 2x107 4x105 .3x104 6x104 27 __ 8x107. . .. ~ .9.x10.5.. . . 8x103.
.~ (b) Inoculation of A. glaucus, var. ruber, spore suspension, appro~imately 50,000 to 100,000 organisms per g.
: In the CO2 atmosphere the mold did not grow in two months at 0..3% or 0.1% sorbate, and grew in.38 days in the absence of sorbate. In air, growth occurred in seven days at . 0.3%.or 0.1% sorbate. (In this experiment there was an anomaly-: 20 no growth was observed in air, without sorbate, after two months.) ; 5 (c) Staphylococcus Inoculum 2x10 organisms/g Count-Organisms/g : Time Control CO2 0.1%. 0.3% 0.1% 0.3%
: (Days) Sorbate Sorbate Sorbate Sorbate 2 +CO2 . 6 1x108 2X1067x107 4X106 lx105 lx105 :. 30 16 ~ 8x1072x107 3x107 1x106 lx105 -:
; -14-: : .
~ ~7~6 The foregoing description is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to understand and practice the present invention, and does not attemp-t to describe all modi-fications and variations thereof which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading it. However, all such modifications and variations are meant to be included within the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.
The amount and choice of preservative employed in the present invention will depend on the amount of moisture present in the product and the organoleptic eEfect desired. Sugar may be :
~., -~7~6 used as the sole preservative; however, according to U.S.
3,202,514 it must be emplo~ed in this case at a level at least e~ual to the moisture content of the food. When the moisture leveI is in excess of about 30% by weight, it is preferred to use sugar in combination with one or more of the other preserva-tives or water binders disclosed hereinabove. The level of sugar which may be present in a shelE stable product of this invention will range from about 4 to 35% by weight.
Polyhydric alcohols or mixtures of polyhydric alcohols may be used as a preservative for those products where sweetness ; is undesirable. These materials are more eficient in prevent-ing microbial spoilage than sugar, and hence can be used in lesser ~uantities. The preferred leveI of addition ranges from about 7 to 20% by weight. Where -the polyhydric alcohol is used in combination with a salt or sugar, the preferred level of addition ranges ~rom about 2 to 13~ by weight.
The term "proteinaceous material" is meant to include proteinaceous meaty materials and non-meat protein materials. It is preferred for palatability that the products treated by the process of this invention contain proteinaceous meaty material.
The term proteinaceous meaty material refers to the group consis-ting of meat, meat by-products and meat meal, as well as mixtures of these. The term meat is understood to apply not only to the flesh of cattle, swine, sheep and goats, but also horses, whale and other mammals, poultry and fish. The term meat by-products is intended to refer to those non-rendered parts of the carcass of slaughterea animals including but not restricted to mammals, poultry and the like and including such ingredients as are ' ,,,, g_ '' ' G
embraced by the term "meat by-products" as defined in the 1975 Oficial Publication of the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. Likewise, the term meat meal refers to the finely ground, dry rendered residue from animal tissues, in-cluding those dried residues embraced by the term "meat meal" as defined by the aforesaid Association. Indeed, the terms meat, meat by-products, and meat meal are understood to apply to all of those animal, poultry and marine products defined by said Ass~ciation. In all cases where meat is employed, it is pre-ferred that it be heated for times and at temperatures effective ` to pasteurize it. In the case of dry meat meals, the drying temperatures are effective for this purpose.
The proteinaceous meaty material will preferablyconstikute a significant portion of the products, typically ~reater than about 10go by weight and preferably greater than 30%. A typical range for such ingredient is about 20% to 50% by weight, but can be as high as about 80%.
Apart from the proteinaceous meaty material and the preservation system, the preferred products contemplated for ~ 20 treatment according to the process of this invention may option-- allyt though preferably, contain other proteinaceous ingredients, texturizers, vitamins, minerals, colorings, flavorants, and the like. Fat or oil may be desirably added, preferabIy in the source ingredients although it may be sprayed or coated on the final product.
- ~on-meat proteinaceous materials, i.e., protein sources other than the proteinaceous meaty material, are preferably employed to achieve a fully balanced, nutritional feed ration.
, i ' ;, --10--,.'' '.
~L~7~6 .
Where desired, however, they can be used as the sole protein source. Typically, the protein will be derived from a vegetable protein source such as soybean, cottonseed, peanuts and the like. The protein may be present in the form of meal, flour, - concentrate, isolate or the like. A preferred protein source is soy. Textured protein materials simulating natural meat can also be employed. ~dditional protein may be derived from milk products such as dried buttermilk, dried skimmed milk, whey, casein, and other like protein sources, such as eggs or cheese.
10~hile these additional protein sources are generally .~ .
mixed with the starting ingredients, all or part of some of these protein materials may be used to coat the otherwise formed final product.
Texturizing agents may be added at minor weight per-cents if desired, although it is found that the utilization of the polyhydric alcohols such as propylene glycol, butylene glycol, glycerol etc., employed as preservatives will generally - be sufficient to impart the necessary plasticity and texture to the final product.
~The animal food composition can also contain a binder material in an amount effective to keep the formed composition .
coherent and shape-retaining after cooking. The binder material may be of the proteinaceous or farinaceous variety such as egg albumin, wheat flour, corn flour and the like or may be a poly-meric carbohydrate binder such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, gelatin, alpha-cellulose, and the like. The binder is preferably employed in higher moisture products (e.g. above about 30%
water) at from about 3% to 10% by weight and most preferably from about 5 to 8%.
' ;,--11--, ::
1~37 . .
The above ingredients are then processed according to techniques known to the art. These procedures involve pasteur-izing the meat alone or with the other ingredients, shaping the product and packaging. Typical of the known procedures is that described in U.S. patent 3,202,514. The pasteurization necess-ary when meats are employed, not only reduces the bacterial content of the material, but also eliminates natural enzyme activity present in either the meaty or other ingredients.
,~
The improvement provided for by the present invention calls for sealing the package having substantially all void spaces therein filled with carbon dioxide. If desired, the product can be degassed and/or flushed with carbon dioxide prior to packaging. To be effective over reasonable periods of stor-age, the packaging material must be substantially impervious to gases such`as water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen. Typical of suitable packaging materials are polyethylene-coated aluminum foil and polyvinylidene chloride-coated polyethylene. Other suitable materials are also known to those skilled in the art, - as is the e~uipment capable of feeding the food into such pack-ages, flushing the package with carbon dioxide as by probe within the package during filling, and sealing the packages such as by heat sealing.
The following example is presented for the purpose of further explaining and illustrating the present invention and is not to be taken as limiting in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight.
:,.
3~97~
'EXAMPLE , An intermediate moisture dog food having an Aw of about 0.86-0.87 was prepared from the following formulation:
Meat S'l'urry E'ormula Beef Trims - lO.0 Parts Beef Tripe - 2400 Parts ' Corn Syrup - 3O0 Parts " Emulsifier - 0.5 Parts 37.5 Parts Dry Ingredients Soy Flakes - 33.0 Parts Sucrose - 16.5 Parts Soy Hulls - 2.0 Parts Dicalcium Phosphate~ - 3.1 Parts Whey - 1.5 Parts Salt - 1.2 Parts `, Vitamins - 0.1364 Parts Color -' 0.0234 Parts 57.4598 ," 20 To prepare the dog food, the beef trims and tripe were chopped in frozen condition and extruded through a 1/8" die using a Hobart* grinder. This ground material was~then placed in a ,' jacketed slgma bIade mixer and the corn syrup and emulsiier were added. The resulting slurry was thoroughly mixed as it was .
heated to about 200F. The listed dry ingredients were then batched and pre-mixed in a ~obart* mixer. The resulting uniform dry mix was then added to the heated slurry and the total mix '' heated to about 180~ under constant agita-tion. This total mix was then transferred to a flat tray for cooling to room temper-ature,',packed in sealed polymer film bags, and placed in 0F
,' storage for at least 24 hours. The samples remained frozen until ; use,,at which time they were thawed.
' ~.'' *Trademark .:
;.
"',' "
:
: ~
~7~
The dog food, thus prepared, was employed in the three following experiments using the indicated inocula and with the following results:
(a) Staphylococcus Inoculum 1.5x10 organisms~g ,~
: ~ .
Count-Organisms/g Time ~ - ~
(Days) Control CO2 0.3% Sorbate0.3~ Sorbate+CO2 3 6x105 5x105 lx105 2x105 : 7 2x107 4x105 .3x104 6x104 27 __ 8x107. . .. ~ .9.x10.5.. . . 8x103.
.~ (b) Inoculation of A. glaucus, var. ruber, spore suspension, appro~imately 50,000 to 100,000 organisms per g.
: In the CO2 atmosphere the mold did not grow in two months at 0..3% or 0.1% sorbate, and grew in.38 days in the absence of sorbate. In air, growth occurred in seven days at . 0.3%.or 0.1% sorbate. (In this experiment there was an anomaly-: 20 no growth was observed in air, without sorbate, after two months.) ; 5 (c) Staphylococcus Inoculum 2x10 organisms/g Count-Organisms/g : Time Control CO2 0.1%. 0.3% 0.1% 0.3%
: (Days) Sorbate Sorbate Sorbate Sorbate 2 +CO2 . 6 1x108 2X1067x107 4X106 lx105 lx105 :. 30 16 ~ 8x1072x107 3x107 1x106 lx105 -:
; -14-: : .
~ ~7~6 The foregoing description is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to understand and practice the present invention, and does not attemp-t to describe all modi-fications and variations thereof which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading it. However, all such modifications and variations are meant to be included within the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.
Claims (7)
1. In a method of preparing an intermediate-moisture food containing meat and/or non-meat proteinaceous material and having a water activity of below about 0.93 improvement comprising, a) formulating the food with an aliphatic acid anti-microbial agent selected from the group consisting of sorbic, caproic, caprylic, propionic aliphatic anti-microbial agents and combinations thereof, and b) packaging said food in a substantially gas impervious packaging material, and c) filling the free space in the packaged material with carbon dioxide, said combination of anti-microbial agent and carbon dioxide atmosphere being effective to prevent microbial growth during storage of the packaged food at ambient temperatures.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the microbial growth referred to is mold growth.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the microbial growth referred to is bacterial growth.
4. A method according to claim 2 wherein the inter-mediate-moisture product is a pet food and has a moisture content of from about 15 to about 50% by weight of the total composition, an Aw of from about 0.5 to about 0.93 and a pH of from about 3.5 to about 8Ø
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the pet food is a full-feeding, nutritionally-balanced dog food containing meat and vegetable protein.
6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the linear aliphatic acid comprises sorbic acid.
7. A packaged pet food product prepared according to the method of claim 4.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US05/665,206 US4048342A (en) | 1976-03-09 | 1976-03-09 | Pet food preservation |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
CA1070156A true CA1070156A (en) | 1980-01-22 |
Family
ID=24669159
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
CA271,177A Expired CA1070156A (en) | 1976-03-09 | 1977-02-07 | Pet food preservation |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US4048342A (en) |
CA (1) | CA1070156A (en) |
Families Citing this family (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4332823A (en) * | 1980-04-07 | 1982-06-01 | Liggett Group Inc. | Fabricated meat and meat by-products and process |
US5004624A (en) * | 1983-03-14 | 1991-04-02 | Star-Kist Foods, Inc. | Semi-moist pet food having free gravy and process for preparation thereof |
US4997671A (en) * | 1988-09-09 | 1991-03-05 | Nabisco Brands, Inc. | Chewy dog snacks |
US4904494A (en) * | 1988-09-09 | 1990-02-27 | Nabisco Brands, Inc. | Chewy dog snacks |
US4904495A (en) * | 1988-09-09 | 1990-02-27 | Nabisco Brands, Inc. | Chewy dog snacks |
US6096354A (en) * | 1997-01-08 | 2000-08-01 | The Iams Company | Process for aseptically packaging protein-containing material and product produced thereby |
US6723365B2 (en) | 1998-08-10 | 2004-04-20 | University Of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. | Method and apparatus for continuous flow reduction of microbial and/or enzymatic activity in a liquid product using carbon dioxide |
US20040131739A1 (en) * | 1998-08-10 | 2004-07-08 | Balaban Murat O. | Method and apparatus for continuous flow reduction of microbial and/or enzymatic activity in a liquid product using carbon dioxide |
US6994878B2 (en) * | 1998-08-10 | 2006-02-07 | University Of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated | Method and apparatus for continuous flow reduction of microbial and/or enzymatic activity in a liquid beer product using carbon dioxide |
US7883732B2 (en) * | 2003-06-12 | 2011-02-08 | Cargill, Incorporated | Antimicrobial salt solutions for cheese processing applications |
US8486472B2 (en) * | 2006-01-18 | 2013-07-16 | Cargill, Incorporated | Antimicrobial salt solutions for food safety applications |
BRPI0821714A2 (en) * | 2008-01-02 | 2014-12-23 | Nestec Sa | EDIBLE COMPOSITIONS |
US20100068337A1 (en) * | 2008-09-17 | 2010-03-18 | Reber Justin C | Packaged animal foods including beneficial viruses, methods for packaging and storing animal foods, and methods for feeding animals |
DE102010023963A1 (en) | 2010-06-16 | 2011-12-22 | Mars Inc. | Method and apparatus for producing a foamed meat or fish product |
CA2892602C (en) | 2012-12-05 | 2021-04-13 | Kemin Industries, Inc. | Pet food palatability enhancer with antimicrobial properties based on organic acids |
WO2015092680A1 (en) * | 2013-12-19 | 2015-06-25 | Nestec Sa | Compositions and methods for increasing the palatability of dry pet food |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2518100A (en) * | 1945-10-29 | 1950-08-08 | Continental Can Co | Method and apparatus for gassing the contents of cans |
FR1505313A (en) * | 1962-04-09 | 1967-12-15 | Norwich Pharma Co | Lower alkyl esters of 6, 7-dialkoxy (lower) -4-hydroxy-3-quinoline carboxylic acids and process for their preparation |
US3202514A (en) * | 1963-07-15 | 1965-08-24 | Gen Foods Corp | Animal food and method of making the same |
US3851080A (en) * | 1972-09-14 | 1974-11-26 | Transfresh Corp | Fresh meat in a predominately carbon dioxide environment |
-
1976
- 1976-03-09 US US05/665,206 patent/US4048342A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1977
- 1977-02-07 CA CA271,177A patent/CA1070156A/en not_active Expired
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US4048342A (en) | 1977-09-13 |
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