Animal food composition

Details Animal food composition Animal food composition

2001-03-14

2002-12-17

Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)

Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products

Treatment of live animal

C426S049000, C426S094000, C426S534000, C426S638000, C426S805000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06495176

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to a breath-freshening pet food for a domestic animal, particularly for a dog. In particular, the invention relates to a breath-freshening biscuit.
Halitosis (bad breath or oral malodour) is a common problem among domestic pets such as dogs and cats and constitutes a significant psycho-sociological problem in the animal-owner relationship. Most studies of halitosis, however, have dealt with the problem in humans. Current thinking suggests that the predominant source of bad breath in humans is the mouth. This is supported by experimental findings which show that oral hygiene procedures such as tooth brushing markedly decrease malodour, while conditions such as caries and periodontitis increase the incidence and intensity of oral malodour [G. F. Sulser, R. H. Brenning and L. S. Fosdick, J. Dental Research, 18: 355-359 (1939)].
Although few studies have been published specifically on oral malodour in companion animals, as with humans the root cause in most cases lies in the animal's relatively poor oral hygiene. Very few owners brush their dog's teeth or have them cleaned by a veterinary surgeon on a regular basis.
Oral malodour is produced as a result of microbial metabolism of exogenous and endogenous proteinaceous substrates. No single micro-organism has been indicated as the primary cause. The proteinaceous substrates can be derived from food debris, exfoliated oral epithelium, saliva, blood and gingival crevicular fluid. The proteins obtained from these sources undergo proteolysis to peptides and amino acids which are further metabolised to highly volatile compounds. It is these volatile compounds which are perceived as oral malodour. It has been shown that the predominant unpleasant-smelling components of bad breath are volatile sulphur compounds or VSCs [J. Tonzetich, J. Periodontology, 48: 13-20 (1977)], the most significant being hydrogen sulphide (H
2
S) and methyl mercaptan (CH
3
SH).
There is an abundance of remedies for bad breath and improving oral hygiene in humans. U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,684, for example, discloses an anti-bacterial oral composition for counting plaque and gingivitis comprising thymol and eugenol and, optionally, flavouring agents such as Australian Tea Tree Oil. However, many of these types of remedy, such as mouthwashes, sucking mints or chewing gum, or even chewing parsley leaves, are of little value for use with a domestic animal, since they require a significant residence time in the mouth. Clearly domestic pets such as dogs lack the discipline and understanding necessary to make use of these approaches and, as most dog owners will testify, will consume most food offered to them very rapidly.
The addition of breath-freshening active ingredients to pet foods to reduce oral malodour is known. CH-676200 discloses the use of zinc citrate, and other active ingredients such as chlorophyll, for incorporation into hard baked biscuits for dogs and cats. U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,836 discloses the topical application of water soluble zinc salts, such as zinc sulphate, zinc gluconate and zinc chloride, to the surface of a dog biscuit. It is disclosed that topical application of the active ingredient to the biscuit is more effective in relation to incorporation of the active ingredient into the biscuit, i.e. in relation to the addition of the active ingredient before baking. The activity of the zinc salts is attributed to a chemical reaction rather than to anti-bacterial action. The chemical reaction is between the zinc and the VSCs responsible for the oral malodour to form a non-volatile entity. Such biscuits are reported to produce significant reductions in bad breath in dogs.
There is a limit to the amount of the active ingredient that may be added to the pet food. If the active ingredient is added above a certain limit the food becomes unpalatable for the animal. In addition, the use of too great an amount of active ingredient may be harmful to the animal and increases the cost of manufacture. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved breath-freshening pet food which is highly palatable for the animal.
According to the present invention there is provided a breath-freshening pet food composition which contains at least about 40 ppm, preferably 60 ppm, more preferably 80 ppm, more preferably 100 ppm, more preferably 120 ppm, more preferably 160 ppm and more preferably 200 ppm by weight of the composition of one or more plant extracts. It is preferred that the pet food composition comprises no more than about 800 ppm, preferably 650 ppm, more preferably 500 ppm, more preferably 350 ppm, and more preferably 200 ppm by weight of the composition of the plant extract(s). In an embodiment of the invention, the pet food comprises about 200 ppm of one or more plant extracts by weight of the food composition. The food is highly palatable and has the effect of freshening the pet's breath. The food is particularly suitable for consumption by domestic pets, particularly dogs and cats.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for preparing the breath-freshening pet food composition of the present invention. The pet food compositions of the present invention may be made according to conventional methods well-known to those skilled in the art. The compositions may comprise, in addition to the plant extract(s), ingredients and additives substantially similar to those used in conventional pet foods. The plant extract(s) may be added to the pet food composition at any stage of its manufacture. However, if the plant extract(s) are added before the composition undergoes a heating step, an excess amount of plant extract, relative to the amount of plant extract desired in the final composition, should be added in order to take into account the volatility of the plant extract(s).
It is preferred that the pet food of the present invention is a dry or semi-moist pet food, preferably a biscuit. The manufacture of such pet foods and particularly pet biscuits generally involves the step of shaping and baking a dough containing the desired ingredients. The breath-freshening biscuits of the present invention can be made from any suitable dough according to conventional techniques known in the art. The plant extract(s) are generally added to the dough before baking and, accordingly, if the plant extract is volatile the dough should contain a higher concentration of plant extract than is desired in the final biscuit. Typically, the dough should contain the plant extract(s) in an amount which is between 2 and 10 times greater than that required in the final biscuit. The precise amount of plant extract(s) added to the dough will depend, inter alia, on the temperature and duration of heating, on the size of the biscuit and on the volatility of the plant extract(s) used.
In an embodiment of the invention, the term “dry pet food” as used herein is intended to mean a pet food having a water activity A
w
of less than 0.65. In this embodiment, the term “semi-moist pet food” as used herein is intended to mean a pet food having a water activity A
w
of from about 0.65 to about 0.86. Water activity is a measure of the relative humidity above a sample of the pet food. The relative humidity is measured above a sample in a sealed chamber after being allowed to equilibrate. A device which is suitable for measuring these parameters is the Rotronic Hygroskop DT™. The water activity is on a scale of 0 to 1.0 and is defined as:
water activity
A
w
={fraction (1/100)} (relative humidity)
The water activity reflects the amount of water which is available to micro-organisms for growth and multiplication. At a water activity of less than 0.65, it is not usually necessary to add preservatives to the pet food. At a water activity of from about 0.65 to about 0.86, it is desirable to add preservatives to the pet food to prevent the growth of mould although the growth of bacteria is minimal under such conditions.
The water content that corresponds to the water activities defined above can vary consid

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