Pioneer Pet Products, LLC

Ghl Specialty Flours, LLC

Chad C Berge

John Michael Lipscomb

Omar I Rodriguez

A method, system and machine for cold processing extruded starch-containing pellets by cold particle size reducing pellets of a size greater than a particle size reduction setting size enabling particle size reduction to be performed without compacting or compression any size reduced particle while doing so without heating them during particle size reduction thereby preserving their pores, internal liquid absorbing voids and starch matrix optimizing granular sorbent performance. Such a method, system and machine is selectively controllable enabling not only control of how many and a ratio of fines produced relative to the final product providing real time control of fines production but also is able to provide particle size distribution control as well. A preferred particle size reduction machine is a roll granulator that breaks larger size pellets into smaller sized particles and/or fines without compressing or compacting them with the spacing between the rolls selectively variably in a manner that regulates how much of different sized particles and/or particles falling within certain size ranges are produced advantageously enabling real time control of particle size distribution to be achieved during extruder line operation.

System and ultrahigh pressure extrusion method for making extruded granular sorbent with post-extrusion cold-processing of extruded granular absorbent for size control

A functionally enhanced flour provided by a manufacturing process that subjects a grain precursor to extrusion under low water, high pressure, and low heat dynamic conditions, and methods of using the resulting flour as an ingredient in food products for human and animal consumption.

Functionally enhanced flours and methods of making and using same

A multicomponent granular absorbent blend formed of at least a plurality of components with at least one of the components formed of smectite-containing, preferably bentonite-containing, absorbent granules, and at least one other of its components formed of absorbent granules comprised of an extrudate. Such an extruded-containing absorbent granule component can be a component formed of extruded pellets covered with an outer absorbent coating preferably composed of smectite, more preferably bentonite, and/or can be a component formed of extruded pellets used without any such smectite, preferably bentonite, outer coating producing uncoated absorbent granules which also are dust-adhering thereby reducing airborne dust in the multicomponent blend. Such a component composed of uncoated dust-adhering absorbent granules can be formed of extruded splayed pellets having at least one lobe and/or fibrillated tendrils enhancing both absorption and dust pickup in the multicomponent blend.

Airborne dust reducing granular absorbent blends

A method of making an extruded granular absorbent is provided where the method includes providing an extruder and a starch-containing admixture, and pressurizing the starch containing admixture in the extruder under relatively high extrusion pressures to extrude the pressurized starch-containing admixture from the extruder, and producing a water absorbent and oil absorbent extrudate. The present invention further provides that the extruded granular absorbent may be combined with a non-extruded granular material with relatively high inert or cellulose content where there may be a greater proportion of extruded granular absorbent, and the extruded granular absorbent and non-extruded granular material agglutinate into a clump when wetted with water or urine.

Method for making extruded granular absorbent and clumping granular absorbent

A flour made using an admixture composed of starch-containing grain, seed or fruit of a cereal grain or grain legume of low water content extruded in a single screw extruder at an ultra-high extrusion pressure producing an extruded functionally enhanced flour usable as an instantized flour by only adding water. When water is added, the flour forms a paste or dough that is three dimensionally formed or shaped into food products that can be cooked or baked in an oven into human or animal edible food products. The extruded functionally enhanced instantized flour also can be used as an ingredient in other edible food products. A preferred extruded functionally enhanced instant flour is extruded at ultra-high pressure from an admixture composed substantially completely of one or more cereal grains and/or legumes using only the moisture present in the cereal grains and/or legumes.

Functionally enhanced flours, grits, and food products and methods of making and using same

A post-extrusion extruded granular sorbent processing system having a pellet-collecting enclosure that receives pellets of granular sorbent extruded from a starch-containing admixture through a die at a discharge end of an extruder and transports the pellets in air from an air mover flowing from the enclosure through a pellet-conveying duct of a pneumatic conveyor cooling and drying the pellets. The system includes a subsystem configured for processing the pellets after extruding, cooling, and drying using a pellet processing machine configured for reducing a size of each pellet having a size greater than a size reduction setting of the machine. A preferred pellet processing machine has rotating horizontally and circumferentially corrugated rollers with a selectively variable gap between the rollers providing the size reducing setting and configuring the rotating rollers for reducing a size of the pellets passing between the rollers having a size greater than the gap between the rollers.

Growing community of inventors

Menomonee Falls, WI, United States of America

Chad C Berge