PET Food Processing - June 2020 - 34

"From start
to finish, it
takes up to 15
different pieces
of equipment
to produce a
finished product
through cold
extrusion."

FORMULATION

Preston Munsch, PetDine LLC

Cold extrusion is
growing in popularity as
consumer preferences
shift toward products
processed at lower temperatures to maintain
nutritional value.
Handtmann

34

feeding their pets," he said. "So, the ability to manage critical formulation parameters in the mixing and/or emulsifying processes is becoming more and more important,
and exactly hitting those parameters from batch to batch
is now also critical to brand management."
Mike Jacko, vice president of applications and new
product innovation for Chesterton, Ind.-based Urschel
Laboratories, Inc., said the company's equipment is an integrated part of the formulation process before extrusion, as
well as reduction of the formulated product after extrusion. 
The Comitrol Processor line of Urschel milling equipment effectively reduces these ingredients down to microdimensions without significantly increasing the temperature to preserve nutritional value. 
"With pet food we take fish, chunks of pork, beef, poultry and other ingredients including bone matter and size
reduce the proteins into emulsion small enough so the
extruder nozzles will not clog-up," Jacko said. "After the
extrusion process, Urschel dicers/slicers produce shreds,
slices or dices based on customer objectives. Sometimes
we take whole muscle liver or lung and dice for freezedried pet snacks."
Preston Munsch, chief executive officer of Fort
Collins, Colo.-based PetDine LLC, which specializes in
the production of functional soft chews through cold extrusion, noted its process not only avoids the use of heat
but also uses no water. 
"With the introduction of water, you add an additional element of risk with the potential growth of yeast
and mold," he said. "In order to control that you have to
use a fairly aggressive level of preservatives to maintain a
24-month best-by date. Water is often used to hydrate or
'activate' gumming agents that are commonly found in soft
chews. For these reasons, we avoid both water and heat to
make the cleanest and most safe product possible."
"Cold extrusion is ideal for these products as it eliminates any barriers that may negatively affect the performance of the product such as heat or water," Munsch said.

"We have invested heavily in the development of our cold
extrusion production lines, which include many custom
pieces of equipment. From start to finish, it takes up to 15
different pieces of equipment to produce a finished product through cold extrusion."

Equipment matters

Zeak noted some important equipment in cold extrusion includes an AMFEC paddle and ribbon blenders,
Seydelmann bowl cutters and mixer grinders for mixing
ingredient materials for extrusion purposes.
"In-line grinding systems can be inserted into the extrusion machinery process to modify the appearance and
texture characteristics of the finished product," he said.
"Hard-particle and bone-separation equipment features
can be added to extrusion grinding systems in order to
remove hazardous particles to make the resulting product
safer for consumption. Artery particles in pet foods and
treats become very sharp once dried."
Additionally, AMFEC vacuum tumbler massagers and
Famaco injectors are used for yield improvement of ingredient materials prior to extrusion. Vemag vacuum extrusion systems are used for reduction of air in extruded
product and increasing density of product during forming of chubs and link shapes.
"Single- and multi-lane shape and ball forming attachments can be added and interchanged on the front of the
Vemag extruder for creating a variety of sizes and shapes,"
Zeak said. "Holac slicers and dicers can be used for further processing of extruded product for shape formatting."
Sam Pallottini, director of pet sales for Reading
Bakery System, an equipment supplier in Reading, Pa.,
noted the company's Low Pressure Extruder (LPE)
utilized for pretzel equipment is a perfect machine for
producing baked pet treats. The design enables the company to push stiffer doughs through a die to produce a
wide range of shapes and has been used to co-extrude
treats as well.

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