PET Food Processing - September 2022 - 35

FORMULATION
as the product moves through the process of blending,
cooking and canning before reaching the end customer.
In canned meat loaf applications, starches, flours and
protein can provide instant moderate-to-high viscosity
and act as clean-label thickeners. These ingredients
can also improve machinability while providing good
water/fat binding properties to retain moisture, resulting
in firmness, structure and stability throughout extended
shelf life.
In extruded and injection molded treat applications,
binders can provide hard and short structure. This helps
with maintaining shape, improving extrusion efficiency,
reducing breakage and increasing chew time. These
binders also help modify texture, reduce viscosity and
lower product density.
Working with starches
Traditional binders like starches, flours, gums and proteins
made from plant and animal sources are used frequently.
Common starches include corn, ancient grains
(including amaranth, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, barley,
sorghum and oat), wheat, rice and tapioca.
In extruded kibble and treats, high-starch ingredients
influence texture, density and shape. Starches also influence
the desired texture in wet food applications - such
as pâté with proper accents, chunks and gravies - and
can act as a thickener for the formulation. These binders
provide instant moderate-to-high viscosity and thickening
in semi-moist treat applications and improve machinability
while also providing good binding properties
and moisture retention.
When mixed with water and heated, the starch molecules
swell because of water binding. When cooked,
starch is highly digestible and a readily available energy
source for dogs and cats. In most applications, it's nearly
impossible to create any finished pet food product with
the desired texture and appearance without one or more
starch ingredients in the formulation, according to
Jennifer Adolphe, Ph.D., companion animal technical
manager, ADM Pet Solutions, Chicago.
Starch sources also have different physical, chemical
and functional properties based on their amylose and
amylopectin content, which can vary due to plant sources,
geography, growing conditions and crop varieties.
High-amylose starches generally require increased water
injections during extrusion, as well as elevated barrel
temperatures and increased shear to enhance the degree
to which the starch is cooked.
" Novel binders are also more
versatile in a sense that they allow
manufacturers to use them in
several different formulas and in
existing systems. "
Chad Harris, Symrise
Conversely, amylopectin's structure has a higher waterholding
capacity, making it more susceptible to denaturation,
reduced shear and lower cook temperatures than
amylose. Thus, a balance of amylose and amylopectin is
necessary to produce kibbles that are structurally sound
while also achieving the desired shape, size and density.
Novel approach
Those in search of another clean label option can look
to novel egg-based binders. Egg offers excellent binding
capabilities, immunity boosters and growth-promoting
nutrients of a first-class protein, and a complete amino
acid profile when formulating. A heat treatment step activates
the binding functionality.
Symrise produces egg-based binders through its
Nutrios brand, which deliver the nutritional benefits of
protein concentrations with binding and emulsification
ingredients for functional applications. Chicken ingredients
include premium-quality protein, broth and fat for
dry and wet formulations.
" Novel binders are also more versatile in a sense that
they allow manufacturers to use them in several different
formulas and in existing systems, " Harris said.
While egg is an excellent binder, it's not a universal
choice for every application. One reason being cost, another
functionality. Binders produced by fermentation offer an
alternative to products made from animal, dairy and seafood.
Egg white protein produced by fermentation is used
in bakery, wet food, dry food and coating applications.
" Unlike traditional binders,
these products can be
produced nearly anywhere in the world using local biomass,
which are sustainable with a much lower carbon
dioxide footprint, " said Patrick Luchsinger, marketing
manager, nutrition and pet food, Ingredion, Inc.,
Westchester, Ill. " As the technology gets better and better,
these novel products may become more available
and functional than other applications. "
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PET Food Processing - September 2022

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