Food products containing .alpha.-amylase and process
AssigneeThe Quaker Oats Company
InventorRonald D. Priegnitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pet food product containing at least one amylaceous ingredient maintains or improves its soft texture during storage when the enzyme .alpha.-amylase is added thereto and processed using heat.
Claims5
In a soft, semi-moist pet food product consisting of soft, cohesive, extrusion cooked particles having 10-60% starch, 22-50% protein, 5-35% water soluble solutes, and 15-40% moisture;
- the improvement comprising:
- an enzyme in the pet food product consisting essentially of alpha-amylase, wherein the alpha-amylase is in an active condition and wherein the active condition alpha-amylase is in the pet food in sufficient quantity to maintain the soft texture of the pet food product during subsequent storage.
In a method for makig a soft, semi-moist pet food by the steps of admixing a dough having at least one amylaceous ingredient, at least one proteinaceous ingredient selected from animal, vegetable or cereal sources, sufficient water to provide a moisture content in the pet food product in the range 15-40% and at least one water soluble solute selected from sugars and polyols;
- and extrusion cooking the dough at a temperature in the range 75.degree.-110.degree. C. inclusive for a time period in the range 15 seconds to 5 minutes inclusive, the improvement comprising:
- (a) adding to the dough an enzyme ingredient consisting essentially of a heat-stable alpha-amylase enzyme;
- (b) extrusion cooking the dough containing alpha-amylase at a temperature and for a time period sufficiently mild that at least some alpha-amylase remains active in the extrusion cooked pet food product;
- and
- (c) storing the pet food product containing the active alpha-amylase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.