Puffed pet treat with crunchy texture

Abstract

An animal protein-based dog treat has a soft crunch and a stable shelf life without use of an appreciable amount of sodium or chemical preservatives. A method of producing the dog treat entails use of extrusion and heating processes to trap moisture in the interior of the dog treat, and then to expand and evaporate the moisture. This process creates in an internal portion of the dog treat voids or air pockets that provide desired texture and strength characteristics.

1 . A pet treat, comprising:
 a puffed segment made from a mixture including protein, starch, and liquid, the puffed segment having an air-containing interior portion with air pockets and a hardened outer surface substantially enclosing the air-containing interior portion, the air-containing interior portion of the puffed segment characterized by a void volume occupied by the air pockets and an amount of moisture of less than about 8% by weight in the air-containing interior portion to provide the puffed segment with a crunchy texture and a soft chew for an animal consuming the pet treat.   
     
     
         2 . The pet treat of  claim 1 , in which the puffed segment is characterized by a compressive strength, and in which no greater than about 15.5 kilograms of force applied to a portion of the hardened outer surface is needed to overcome the compressive strength to achieve breakage of the puffed segment. 
     
     
         3 . The pet treat of  claim 1 , in which the protein includes animal protein. 
     
     
         4 . The pet treat of  claim 3 , in which the animal protein includes salmon. 
     
     
         5 . The pet treat of  claim 1 , in which the starch includes potato starch. 
     
     
         6 . The pet treat of  claim 1 , further comprising a nutritional supplement. 
     
     
         7 . The pet treat of  claim 6 , further comprising a fruit supplement. 
     
     
         8 . The pet treat of  claim 6 , further comprising a mineral supplement. 
     
     
         9 . The pet treat of  claim 6 , further comprising a probiotic supplement. 
     
     
         10 . The pet treat of  claim 6 , further comprising an amino acid supplement. 
     
     
         11 . The pet treat of  claim 6 , further comprising a vitamin supplement. 
     
     
         12 . The pet treat of  claim 1 , further comprising a sodium-based or chemical preservative of less than 0.01% by weight. 
     
     
         13 . The pet treat of  claim 1 , in which the puffed segment is characterized by a volume, and in which the void volume occupies from about 20% to about 70% of the volume of the puffed segment.