Apparatus and process for forming pet treats
View Patent ↗An animal chew is provided formed by rolling a mixture of binder and base material into a sheet. Base material, such as an edible material, including but not limited to starch, protein matter, vegetable or plant matter, is mixed with a binder. The mixture is then supplied to a screw conveyor followed by introduction onto rollers to form a sheet. The sheet may then be cut into a desired shape. The overall process may be made continuous, and the manufacturing conditions may be selectively controlled at each step, with respect to variable a such as temperature and moisture levels, to substantially maintain the overall nutritional value of the formed edible compositions.
1. A method of manufacturing an animal chew comprising: (a) providing a base material and a preheated binder and forming a mixture, wherein said mixture has a first selected moisture level “x”; (b) introducing and further mixing said mixture in a screw conveyor wherein the temperature of the mixture in the screw conveyor is maintained at a temperature of at or below about 200° F. and a shear rate at or below 10 4 (sec −1 ) and said moisture level is reduced to a second moisture level wherein the second moisture level <x; (c) introducing the product of step (b) on to rollers which form a sheet and wherein said rollers provide cooling; (d) introducing the product of step (c) into a cooled chamber at a selected temperature; (e) cutting said product of step (d) into a desired shape.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the base material is an edible material.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the edible material is selected from the group consisting of starch, rice meal, soybean, casein, denatured and partially hydrolyzed casein, protein, rawhide, dairy, meat by-products, plant, vegetable matter or animal matter, and mixtures thereof.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said cooled chamber comprises a cooling tunnel.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the moisture level “x” is at or below 50% (wt).
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the a final moisture level is at or below 15% (wt).
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the a final moisture level is between 10-12% (wt).
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said preheated binder upon cooling serves to bind said mixture together.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising laminating on or consolidating with a second layer, having different components than said mixture.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising applying said second layer prior to introducing the product of step (b) on to rollers.