New pet food composition and method

Abstract

A canine pet food composition comprising a meat based material having an essentially solid mass assuming the shape of the container in which it is packed, said pet food having meat particles with a moisturized appearance and visually recognizable discrete food particles upon slicing the pet food mass after departure from the said container.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A canine pet food composition comprising a meat based material having an essentially solid mass assuming the shape of the container in which it is packed, said pet food having visually recognizable discrete meat particles with a moisturized appearance upon slicing the pet food mass after departure from the said container.  
     
     
         2 . The composition in accordance with  claim 2  having about 20 wt % to about 40 wt % meat.  
     
     
         3 . The composition in accordance with  claim 3  having about 25 wt % to about 35 wt % meat.  
     
     
         4 . A meat and grain based canine pet food composition which visually is a hybrid between a ground loaf composition and a chunk and gravy composition, said pet food composition prepared by a process comprising (a) heating the meat portion of the pet food composition to a temperature at or below the denaturation point of the meat portion, (b) separately from the meat portion (a) and the fluid or slurry (c) mixing grain together or a mixture of grains together with water that will achieve or essentially achieve hydration, gelatinization, and retrogradation of the grain or mixture of grains and convert complex carbohydrate to simple carbohydrate (c) separately from the meat portion (a) and grains (b) preparing a viscosity building fluid or slurry which when combined into components (a) and (b) forms at least an essentially homogenous mass during a container filling process and (d) combining (a), (b) and (c) and mixing while maintaining temperature of combined mass.  
     
     
         5 . The composition in accordance with  claim 4  which component (a) is heated to about 180° F. or higher for a diet having skeletal muscle protein of cattle.  
     
     
         6 . The composition in accordance with  claim 4  which component (b) grain is selected from the group consisting of natural starch and heat and/or pressure treated grain or starch and a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The composition in accordance with  claim 4  which component (c) starch slurry is selected from non-chemically modified cornstarch; potato starch or rich starch; natural potato starch, natural corn starch or natural rice, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         8 . A process for preparing a meat and grain based canine pet food composition which comprises (a) heating the meat portion of the pet food composition to a temperature at or below the denaturation point of the meat portion, (b) separately from the meat portion (a) and the fluid or slurry (c) mixing grain or a mixture of grains together with water that will achieve or essentially achieve hydration, gelatinization, and retrogradation of the grain or mixture of grains and conversion of complex carbohydrate to simple carbohydrate (c) separately from the meat portion (a) and grains (b) preparing a viscosity building fluid or slurry which when combined with components (a) and (b) forms at least an essentially homogenous mass during a container filling process and (d) combining (a), (b) and (c) and mixing while maintaining temperatures of combined mass.  
     
     
         9 . A process in accordance with  claim 8  wherein component (a) is heated to about 180° F. or higher for a diet having skeleton muscle protein of cattle.  
     
     
         10 . A process in accordance with  claim 8  wherein the component (b) grain is selected from the group consisting of natural starch and a heat and/or pressure treated grain or starch and a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         11 . A process in accordance with  claim 8  wherein component (c) starch is selected from non-chemically modified starch from potato, corn, rice or mixture thereof or a natural starch from potato, corn, rice or a mixture thereof; and mixtures thereof.