Mars, Incorporated

Mars Gb Ltd.

Pedigree Petfoods Limited

Nadreph Limited

Keith Buckley

Ian Edward Burrows

John Richard Mitchell

Philip J Lowe

Colin T Prest

David Barker

Gary D Musson

Charles Speirs

John Beech

Derek Horrocks

Garry D Wills

Paul Gaywood

Alan John Vernon

David Primrose

Alan Vernon

Paul Wilkinson

A process for preparing a proteinaceous food product comprises passing a wet dough of a mammalian and/or avian meat protein, at least part of which is functionally inert protein, between a pair of oppositely rotating rollers to form a sheet of said food product. The functionally inert protein may have been cooked or otherwise treated to impart to the protein one or more characteristics of cooked protein and/or may comprise inert scleroprotein.

Process for preparing a proteinaceous food product

A gellable composition comprises a mixture of (1) gellan, (2) xanthan gum, and (3) a galactomannan and/or glucomannan gum capable of producing a gel in combination with xanthan gum, especially carob, tara, cassia or konjac gum, wherein the ratio by weight range of (1):[(2)+(3)] is 1:.gtoreq.2.

Gel system

A structured food or animal feed product comprises a gel formed by the interaction of water soluble components of Chinese grass with amylose or high amylose starch having an amylose content not below 25% by weight. In making the product the amylose or high amylose starch is mixed and allowed to interact in an aqueous medium with water soluble components of Chinese grass, with the optional inclusion of other nutritious material, whereby a gellable mixture is produced, which is formed into solid pieces.

Structured food products and process

A rehydratable dry animal food is prepared by preparing a mix of comminuted, heat-treated meaty materials, fat and pregelatinized starch carbohydrate binder, forming the mix into pieces and drying the pieces to form permeable solid pieces which rehydrate to a paste-like material of heterogeneous texture. The mix preferably contains bone fragments, which can be softened by autoclaving and which lend a desirable flaky texture to the rehydrated product. The pregelatinized starch carbohydrate binder may be pregelatinized potato powder or cereal products in which the starch content is in pregelatinized form or other starch containing products in which the starch component has been pregelatinized. Typical mixes contain 70-80% meaty materials, 10% fat and 10-20% of said binder. The pieces may be extruded under low pressure or extrusion-expanded to give an open texture.

Animal food and method

Blood, red blood derivatives or blood-containing materials such as liver are decolorized for use in food or animal food products by oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide or calcium or sodium peroxide. Excess peroxide can be removed and a desirable color achieved by adding further blood, blood derivative or meaty material. Reaction with the peroxide can be facilitated by a pH reversal process in which the pH is raised or lowered by at least 2 units and then restored. Heat or a combination of heat and pH reversal can also be employed. Flavors and other additions added to the blood or other material before decolorization are locked in the resulting product. The decolorized material can be canned as a mince-like product or mixed with other foodstuffs.

Food Protein Product

A protein food product is described, together with a process for making it. Whey protein derived from milk is adjusted to a pH of 6 to 9 and coagulated by heat, thereby giving a firm, non-brittle material which is useful as a protein food in its own right, or as a matrix for composite products, or in the manufacture of pieces resembling meat offals such as kidney, to improve the texture of meat-containing mixes, for example of sausage type, and for other food products, all of which are useful as protein foods for animals and also for human beings.

Protein product

The invention relates to food products having a gelled or thickened aqueous phase, a pH value of 2.5 up to 5.0 and in the case of milk products up to the neutral range about 7.5. Applicants have found unexpected benefit in using crude pectinaceous material of which the degree of esterification is or has been reduced to less than 20%, and preferably less than 10%, as the thickening or gelling agent in such products. Gel strength measurements show that comparable gels are formed with much lower pectin concentrations when the crude material is used than when purified or extracted pectin is employed. Gel structures are better and there is an outstanding cost advantage. Products contain from 0.1 to 20% crude pectinaceous material such as comminuted citrus peel. They may contain comminuted animal or vegetable protein or fruit puree or other flavoring at a pH of 2.5 to 5.0. Alternatively they may contain milk or milk derivatives, for example, from 2 to 60% milk solids and may have an acidic pH in the case of yoghurts or a pH up to about 7.5 in the case of ice cream, desserts or other milk products.

Food binding agent

The invention relates to food products and provides novel foods for animals, especially pets. In particular the invention relates to coherent elastic semi-moist food products which are stabilized against bacterial growth by the inclusion of humectants at reduced water activity. The products include subdivided protein material bound together with a gel formed by a polysaccharide gelling agent containing monosaccharide units other than (including in addition to) glucose residues and preferably having free or esterified acidic substituent groups. A preferred example of such a gelling agent is a mixture of xanthan and carob gums. Quantities of gelling agent in the range 0.2 to 5% are preferred and the moisture content should be from about 30% to 70%, the humectant concentration of about 5% to about 40% by weight, the pH between about 3.5 and about 7.5, and the water activity (Aw) below 0.95 or below 8.5 depending on the acidity of the product. The invention allows for the preparation of meat-like products for animals having an elastic coherent structure with a high gel strength from the less attractive varieties or cuts of meats or offals.

Gelatinized animal food product

Bacteriologically stable, semi-moist proteinaceous food products, of lower concentration of conventional humectants and consequently higher acceptability to consumers, such as domestic pets, are obtained by including as at least part of the water-soluble humectant content low molecular weight polypeptide materials. Examples of suitable materials are condensed fish solubles and fish or meat autolysates. Especially preferred are compositions including acidified polypeptide sources and which consequently have pH values in the range 3.5 to 5.5 and have water activities in the range 0.85 to 0.95. Minor proportions Nf conventional humectants such as sugar or polyhydric alcohols can be included. Compositions of pH 5.5 to 7 and water activity 0.75 to 0.85 can also be preferred. Products may include heat-coagulable binders such as gluten or albumen and be formed with subsequent cooking into coherent pieces. Burger type products can also be formed from pasteurized meats without subsequent cooking.

Semi-moist animal food

Uncooked meat or simulated meat is preserved, while retaining its substantially raw appearance and characteristics, by infusion with sufficient edible water soluble solute to stabilize it against microbiological spoilage and packing the infused material in the absence of oxygen, for example, under an inert gas or a vacuum. The meat or other animal tissue may be treated to inhibit enzyme activity without cooking or denaturing the protein, especially in the case of meat products of high enzyme activity. Infusion can be carried out at low temperature, for example -20.degree. to -5.degree. C, but preferably at 15.degree. to 40.degree. C for a period of 4 to 6 hours. Alternatively, the raw starting material can be sealed in a package with an aqueous solution of sufficient solute, infusion then taking place within the sealed package. A protein sweetmeat for pet animals can be prepared by infusion meat pieces with sugar and thereafter dusting the pieces with solid sugar. Apart from the provision of preserved protein as food the invention can be employed for the transport of meat where refrigeration facilities are not available. It can also be used for the preservation of anatomical specimens.

Preserved meat

Food products comprising solid foodstuffs and more especially meat, meat by-products or other proteinaceous materials are contained in an aqueous phase of near neutral pH value thickened or gelled by pectic substances having a degree of esterification (methoxylation) of less than 20%. Where a rigid gel is required the pectic substance is preferably reacted with a di- or tri-valent metal ion, notably calcium ion and also with a sequestrant. The pectic substance may be a purified or isolated pectate or a natural pectin source, for example citrus peel, in which the pectic substance has the required low level of esterification, for example by enzymatic or chemical treatment of the natural material. Food products employing the thickener or gelling agent of this invention include canned meat products containing meat or meat by-product pieces in a gel or thickened gravy formed by the pectic substance, meat loaf and similar products in which the gel forms a rigid binder for the meaty material, formed products such as sausage or simulated meat pieces based on vegetable proteins, and semi-moist products based on comminuted meaty materials in which the pectic substance provides a coherent elastic texture.

Gelling and thickening agents

Food products comprising solid foodstuffs and more especially meat, meat by-products or other proteinaceous materials are contained in an aqueous phase of near neutral pH value thickened or gelled by pectic substances having a degree of esterification (methoxylation) of less than 10%.

Growing community of inventors

Melton Mowbray, United Kingdom

Keith Buckley