Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-07
2001-05-08
Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S630000, C426S635000, C426S648000, C426S650000, C426S656000, C426S658000, C426S805000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228418
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of pet treats. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of pet treats which are palatable to pets, particularly to dogs and are based exclusively or virtually exclusively on vegetarian products and contain nutraceutical ingredients.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Food products for pets and particularly specialty food products known as pet treats are old in the art. In this connection pet treats for dogs and cats, and primarily treats for dogs are of interest as background art to the present invention. Pet treats ideally should be highly palatable for the animal (pet) and at the same time should be relatively low in calories to avoid obesity in pets. The prior art has attempted to avoid high caloric content in pet treats by providing treats with high cellulose and fiber content. Palatability has, generally speaking, been achieved in the prior art by the use of meat and meat by-products, which, generally speaking, contain high levels of fat. The use of meat and meat by-products in any event, is considered undesirable or objectionable by a significant segment of the human population. For this reason there is need in the state-of-the-art for a pet treat, and particularly for a treat designed primarily for consumption by canines, which is palatable and is based exclusively or virtually exclusively on plant-based (vegetarian) products.
The following specific patents are believed to be of interest as background to the present invention: U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,556 which describes a dog food that contains soy bean products; U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,748 which describes a low calorie pet treat that contains cellulose and a non-caloric gum binder and U.S. Pat. Nos. D0,354,613 and D0,380,072 which show decorative designs for pet treats. Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,298,274 and 4,978,548 pertain to corn chip and tortilla chip making technology and also are of interest as background to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a treat for pets, primarily for dogs, which is palatable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a treat for pets, primarily for dogs, which consists essentially of vegeterian ingredients.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a treat for pets, primarily for dogs, which comprises nutraceutical ingredients.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by a composition that is used as a treat for pets, primarily for dogs and which prior to processing by baking and rebaking or frying comprises the following ingredients:
approximately 25 to 50 percent by weight of corn flour;
approximately 0.2 to 2.0 percent by weight of a palatability enhancer selected from the group consisting of vegetable digest, liver digest, poultry digest, beef digest;
approximately 2 to 15 percent by weight of a protein, preferably selected from the group consisting of plant protein, milk protein and meat protein
approximately 0.1 to 5.0 percent by weight of a nutraceutical composition, and
approximately 35 to 55 percent by weight of an aqueous solution that optionally includes a palatability enhancer where the palatability enhancer is present in the solution by approximately 1.0 to 5.0 percent by weight, and where the product after baking, rebaking or frying further contains approximately 2 to 4 percent by weight of a palatability enhancing oil, and optionally approximately 4 to 10 percent by weight of seasoning and where the product does not have any other ingredient of animal origin in substantial amount.
The features of the present invention can be best understood together with further objects and advantages by reference to the following description.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following specification sets forth the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are the best modes contemplated by the inventors for carrying out their invention in a commercial environment, although it should be understood that various modifications can be accomplished within the parameters of the present invention.
General Embodiments
The present invention provides a food product for consumption by pets, especially for dogs, the primary purpose of which is to be used as a treat, that is to be used as a praise or reward to the pet. A guiding principle in formulating this food product is to provide a high level of palatability for pets, especially for dogs, and also to provide a product that is primarily of plant and not of animal origin. In other words the pet treat food product of the invention is either exclusively based on vegetarian ingredients, or even if it contains some ingredients of animal origin as palatability enhancing agents, or nutraceuticals these are present in small amounts only. For this reason the pet treat of the present invention is, or can be considered primarily a vegetarian product.
The technology pertaining to food products and food processing in general and pertaining to pet food products in particular is well developed, and those skilled in the art are well familiar with this technology. The technology pertaining to food processing or manufacturing equipment in general, and pertaining to the manufacturing or processing of pet food in particular, is also well developed, and those skilled in the art are familiar with this technology as well. For this reason, in the present description terms which are well known to those skilled in the art are not defined in detail, and are described only to the extent necessary to describe the present invention. Similarly, machinery used for the manufacturing or processing the novel pet treat of the invention, which per se is well known in the art, is described only to the extent necessary to describe the invention.
The novel pet treat of the invention is prepared by first preparing a “wet formula”, “wet dough” or “wet composition”, a principal ingredient of which is corn flour that is present in the wet composition in an approximate ratio of 25 to 50 percent by weight of the wet composition. Corn flour per se is well known in the food processing or manufacturing arts, and is made from corn kernels in large quantities for various purposes, primarily for tortilla, tortilla chip and corn chip manufacturing. The corn flour used for tortilla chip manufacturing is also suitable for use as a principal ingredient in the wet composition of the pet treat of the present invention. As is well known, corn flour, in the quantities normally used in the food industry, is made by grinding whole kernels and this commercial product is normally known in the trade as masa corn flour. Such dry masa corn flour is well suited for use in the pet treat of the present invention.
A preferred range of corn flour is approximately 41 to 47% by weight of the wet composition.
The corn flour is mixed with a solid (powdered or the like) palatability enhancer that is added in a quantity that it comprises approximately 0.2 to 2.0 percent by weight of the wet composition. Palatability enhancer compositions per se are well known in the art, they typically comprise vegetable digest, garlic powder, deactivated yeast, liver digest in solid form, poultry or beef digest. Smoke flavor, anise oil and salt may also be palatability enhancers. The liver digest may originate from beef, chicken, lamb or pork liver, or may be a mixture of these four liver products. The palatability enhancer can also be a mixture of the above-noted vegetable, liver or meat digests, garlic powder and yeast. Inasmuch as the pet treat of the present invention is a vegetarian or substantially vegetarian product, the use of a palatability enhancer that contains exclusively or primarily only vegetable digest is preferred. Nevertheless, because the total proportion of the palatability enhancer in the product is low (in the above-noted range of 0.2 to 2.0 percent by weight of the composition) the pet treat product of the invention preserves its pri
Gluck Gilbert
Kent Bradford L.
Yatcilla Michael T.
Cyvex Nutrition
Klein & Szekeres LLP
Sayala Chhaya D.
LandOfFree
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