Food product & process for manufacturing same

Abstract

There is provided a commercially packaged mammal pet food product that includes a manufactured, shelf-life stable food substrate and a combination of functional additives. The functional additives include at least one non-palatable plant-based remedy and/or dietary fiber source that are present to strengthen and/or maintain a specified health indicator of a mammal pet animal. The food product is portioned and packaged with the functional additives being present in predetermined concentrations and amounts sufficient to be effective in achieving said indications on regular feeding of the pet animal with said food product. The food substrate is present in a proportion sufficient to mask the flavor and/or odor of the non-palatable additive and is made-up of a unique combination of materials that are able to be processed at lower temperatures to preserve the natural botanical functional additive's activity.

1 - 10 . (canceled)  
   
   
       11 . A packaged, treat-sized, mammal pet food product comprising: 
 a manufactured food substrate; and    a combination of non-palatable, functional additives, including vegetable charcoal in an amount of 6 to 14% by weight of the pet food product and salts of zinc in an amount of 0.3 to 0.8% weight; wherein said functional additives are present in amounts sufficient to reduce flatulence odor when the pet food product is fed to a dog on a daily basis; and wherein said food substrate is present in a proportion sufficient to mask the flavor and/or odor of the non-palatable additives.    
   
   
       12 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 11 , further comprising  Yucca Shidigera  or  Elata  extract in an amount of 0.05 to about 0.11% by weight of the pet food product as an additional non-palatable functional additive in amounts sufficient to cooperate with the vegetable charcoal and salts of zinc to reduce flatulence odor.  
   
   
       13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 26 , wherein the food substrate includes dry ingredients comprising animal protein, carbohydrates and an anti-microbial agent, and at least one liquid ingredient in a predetermined ratio to the sum of the dry ingredients.  
   
   
       15 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 14 , wherein the animal protein constitutes from about 17% to 50% by weight of the dry ingredients.  
   
   
       16 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 15 , wherein the animal protein is derived from beef, pork, mutton, poultry, fish or a combination of these.  
   
   
       17 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 16 , wherein the animal protein includes gelatins.  
   
   
       18 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 14 , wherein the carbohydrates include simple and complex carbohydrates wherein the complex carbohydrates include rice flour, and wherein the simple carbohydrates include glucose, glycerol and/or sugar.  
   
   
       19 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 14 , wherein rosemary extract is added as an antioxidant.  
   
   
       20 . The packaged pet food product according to  14 , wherein the water constitutes about 10 to about 20% by weight of the finished product.  
   
   
       21 . The packaged pet food product in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein the pet food product is in the form of a palatable, ‘treat’-sized, chewy tablet, including the following ingredients in proportions by weight of finished product: 
 gelatine—from about 3 to about 7%;    glucose—from about 2 to about 5%;    sugar—from about 2 to about 5%;    glycerol—from about 1 to about 4%;    potassium sorbate—from about 0.2 to about 0.5%;    rosemary extract—from about 0.01 to about 0.05%,    water—from about 10 to about 20%; and    the balance being composed of pulverized meat (approx 50%), cereal flour (approx 11%), sugar (approx 8%), glycerine (approx 9%), citric acid (approx 1%) and preservatives (approx 0.1%).    
   
   
       22 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 21 , wherein the product is provided in the form of a biscuit or multi-piece biscuit that is easily divisible so as to facilitate administration to a pet animal of a desired amount of the product corresponding with a desired dosage of the functional additives.  
   
   
       23 . The packaged pet food product according to  claim 21 , wherein the product is provided in the form of a food bar, having substantially uniform concentration of the functional additives throughout the length thereof, and wherein the food bar includes markings, etchings or the like for indicating where the food bar may be broken so as to provide the pet animal with a desired dosage of the functional additives.  
   
   
       24 . (canceled)  
   
   
       25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . The packaged, treat-sized pet food product according to  claim 12 , wherein the salts of zinc comprise zinc acetate, and wherein the functional additives are provided in the following amounts by weight of finished product, the balance being made up by the manufactured food substrate and nutritional supplements: 0.06%  Yucca Shidigera  or  Elanta  extract, 6% Vegetable charcoal and 0.4% zinc acetate.