Process for preparing a marbled meat pet food

A process for the preparation of intermediate-moisture pet food having a first ingredient phase simulating lean meat intermixed with a second ingredient phase simulating fat and shaped to resemble small cuts of marbled meat which comprises:

• pressure casting the first ingredient phase into elongated rectangular form and
• pressure casting the second ingredient phase centrally into the elongated rectangular form of the first ingredient phase;
• urging the combined casting of first and second ingredient phases through an enclosed blending compartment having oriented therein a plurality of stationary elements which cut, divide and axially rotate substantial portions of the casting in a manner to randomly blend the first and second phases without altering the outlying physical dimensions of the casting, and simultaneously maintaining a pressure within said blending compartment from about 250 to 400 psig sufficient to bind the phase together thereby converting the casting to that of a casting of randomly blended first and second ingredient phases;
• heat setting the casting of blended ingredient phases to blend the phases together and to form a structurally stable material;
• and
• subdividing and shaping the heat set casting of blended phases into small pieces resembling small cuts of lean meat marbled with fat.