Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Protein – amino acid – or yeast containing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-23
2002-02-26
Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Protein, amino acid, or yeast containing
C426S657000, C426S658000, C426S641000, C426S302000, C426S805000, C426S549000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06350485
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to methods and compositions for enhancing the palatability of pet foods, and more particularly to compositions and methods for enhancing the palatability of dry and semi-dry cat food.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pet food manufacturers have a long-standing desire to provide foods which combine high nutritional value, and resistance to decomposition and bacterial contamination, with low production costs. In addition, and with particular regard to cat foods, pet food manufacturers desire a high degree of palatability which can be attained at low cost.
The three main types of pet foods embody the desired characteristics to varying degrees. Canned or high-moisture (greater than 50% moisture) foods are typically all meat and therefore generally highly palatable to animals. However, such foods are typically costly to produce and package, require the use of preservatives to inhibit decomposition and contamination, and are relatively less nutritious per unit weight than other pet food products. Dry or low-moisture content pet foods (less than 15% moisture) are generally highly nutritious, may be inexpensively packaged, and are highly convenient to store and use. However, dry or low-moisture foods are generally the least palatable of pet foods. Semi-dry or intermediate moisture content pet foods (about 15% to about 50% moisture) are generally more palatable than dry foods, have higher nutritional value, and are more inexpensively packaged and more conveniently used than high moisture foods. However, intermediate moisture content foods may be more susceptible to bacterial contamination than dry pet foods, and are generally less palatable than high moisture content foods.
Dry and semi-dry foods are generally preferred by manufacturers and pet owners alike because such foods are more convenient to store and use, and because of the higher nutritional content than high-moisture pet foods. However, many animals, and particularly cats, are picky eaters desiring a high degree of palatability. There remains a need for a low-moisture pet food with a high degree of palatability.
Known palatability enhancers for low moisture pet foods include various surface coating compositions. For example, known palatability enhancers include surface coatings of phosphoric acid; a combination of fat with hexamic, phosphoric or citric acid; and a mixture of phosphoric acid and citric acid. Palatability may also be enhanced by the application of liquid or dry flavorings as a coating. Liquid or dry animal digest coatings are widely used to enhance palatability, and animal digest is also used in a liquid combination with phosphoric acid. Dry animal digest may be used in a two step coating process with liquid phosphoric acid. Dry application of sodium acid phosphate, which may be used in combination with animal digest, is also known.
However, the known compositions and methods remain limited in the resulting degree of palatability. It would be desirable to provide a composition and method for further enhancing the palatability of dry and semi-dry pet foods. It would also be desirable to provide such a composition with a high degree of palatability for cats. It would be further desirable to provide such a composition and method which enhances dry and semi-dry pet food palatability at a relatively low production cost. It would be still further desirable to provide such a palatability enhancer which is robust among different formulations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects may be attained by a pet food palatability enhancer which includes tetrasodium pyrophosphate. The palatability enhancer, and methods for enhancing the palatability of pet foods, generally relate to dry and semi-dry pet foods including a nutritionally balanced mixture of proteinaceous and farinaceous materials. Generally, the palatability enhancer is a dry formulation including from about 0.1% up to about 99% by weight tetrasodium pyrophosphate. In one embodiment, the palatability enhancer is formulated by adding tetrasodium pyrophosphate in dry powdered form to a dry composition for application to a dry pet food. The dry composition typically also includes readily commercially available ingredients such as dried whey, dried animal digest, and yeast. The amount of tetrasodium pyrophosphate added to the dry composition is adjusted so that tetrasodium pyrophosphate contributes about 0. 1% to about 1.0% by weight of the finished dry pet food.
In use and in one embodiment, the palatability enhancer is applied to particles or pieces of extruded, dry or semi-dry cat food. More specifically, the particles or pieces are added to a coating drum and molten animal fat and other liquids are sprayed over the dry pieces. The palatability enhancer is applied to the pieces and the pieces are tumbled in the drum to thoroughly coat the pieces.
The palatability enhancer improves the palatability of dry and semi-dry pet foods. The palatability enhancer is particularly effective for enhancing the palatability to cats of dry and semi-dry cat foods. Further, the palatability enhancer may be added to commercially available dry and semi-dry cat foods or other pet and animal foods at a relatively low production cost.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The palatability enhancer generally is a dry composition including from about 0.1% up to about 99% by weight tetrasodium pyrophosphate. The palatability enhancer is generally externally applied, using dry application methods, to commercially available, dry or semi-dry pet foods.
More specifically, the palatability enhancer and methods for enhancing the palatability of dry and semi-dry pet foods, generally relate to a nutritionally balanced mixture of proteinaceous and farinaceous materials having a moisture content of about 50% or less by weight. Such mixtures are known as dry or semi-dry pet foods to those skilled in the art, and the palatability enhancer is applied to pieces of the dry or semi-dry food. The pet food compositions described herein are not intended to be limited to a specific listing of ingredients because such ingredients will depend on such factors as, for example, the desired nutritional balance for the specific type of pet, and availability of ingredients to the manufacturer. In addition to the proteinaceous and farinaceous materials, the pet food composition generally may include vitamins, minerals, and other additives such as flavorings, preservatives, emulsifiers and humectants. The nutritional balance, including the relative proportions of vitamins, minerals, fat, protein and carbohydrate, is determined according to dietary standards known in the veterinary art. For example, the nutritional balance of a cat food composition is determined according to the known dietary requirements for cats.
The proteinaceous material may include any material having a protein content of at least about 15% by weight including vegetable proteins such as soybean, cotton seed, and peanut; animal proteins such as casein, albumin, and fresh animal tissue including fresh meat tissue and fresh fish tissue; and dried or rendered meals such as fish meal, poultry meal, meat meal, bone meal and the like. Other types of suitable proteinaceous materials include wheat gluten or corn gluten, and microbial proteins such as yeast.
The farinaceous material may be defined as any material having a protein content of less than about 15% by weight and containing a substantial proportion of starches or carbohydrates, including grains such as corn, milo, alfalfa, wheat, barley, rice, soy hulls, and other grains having low protein content. In addition to the proteinaceous and farinaceous materials, other materials such as whey and other dairy by-products, as well as other carbohydrates may be added. In addition, known flavorings including, for example, corn syrup or molasses, may be added.
In one exemplary embodiment, the palatability enhancer is applied to a dry cat food composition. Generally, the term cat food composition as used herein applies to commercially sold, nutritionally balanced fo
Armstrong Teasdale LLP
Ralston Purina Company
Sayala Chhaya D.
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