Dual textured animal food product and methods of manufacture thereof

A shelf-stable, dual-texture pet food product comprising:

• an outer portion co-extruded around an inner portion, the inner portion in contact with and partially surrounded by the outer portion;
• the inner portion having a soft texture with a hardness factor in a range of about 1-7 Newtons, the inner portion comprising animal meat at about 3% by weight or more, animal-derived grease with lactic acid, starch, and plant-derived protein;
• and
• the outer portion having a hard texture with a hardness factor in a range of about 3-10 Newtons, the outer portion comprising starch and plant-derived protein;
• wherein the hardness factor of the inner portion is less than the hardness factor of the outer portion.

A process for manufacturing a dual-textured pet food product, the process comprising:

• forming in a first extruder, a first dough comprising animal meat, a plant-based starch, plant-based protein, animal-derived grease with lactic acid, and a humectant;
• forming in a second extruder a second dough comprising at least one cereal grain, meal provided by a legume, and animal-derived protein;
• co-extruding the first dough with a second dough to form a co-extrudate, the co-extrudate comprising an inner portion of the first dough and an outer portion of the second dough;
• cutting the co-extrudate into pieces of the dual-textured pet food product;
• wherein the outer portion has a first texture with a hardness factor of about 3-10 Newtons and the inner portion has a second texture with a hardness factor of about 1-7 Newtons;
• and
• wherein the hardness factor of the inner portion is less than the hardness factor of the outer portion.