Concentration of glycosaminoglycans and precursors thereto in food products

A method of concentrating glycosaminoglycans and glucosamine from vertebrate connective tissue in foodstuffs for sustenance of pets, said method comprising:

• (a) providing raw bovine connective tissue;
• (b) providing a palatability component comprising at least one source of meat;
• (c) mixing said raw bovine connective tissue and said palatability component to form a palatable raw mixture;
• (d) mechanically emulsifying said palatable raw mixture, thereby forming liquefied mixture;
• (e) providing at least one carrier substrate selected from the group consisting of dried bakery product, wheat flour, wheat middlings, wheat bran, whole ground wheat, rice flour, rice bran, oat flour, oat bran, corn flour, corn bran, corn gluten meal, whole ground corn, soy flour, soybean meal, barley, sorghum, meat meals, poultry meal, fish meal, dry dog food, and mixtures thereof;
• (f) mixing said liquefied mixture and said at least one carrier substrate to form a final mixture, said liquefied mixture present in said final mixture at a concentration within the range of about 2 to 40 wt %;
• (g) extruding said final mixture to form a cooked and shaped mixture;
• and
• (h) drying said cooked and shaped mixture to dehydrate said cooked and shaped mixture to a moisture level within the range of about 5 to 12 wt %, thereby forming a finished pet food product.

A foodstuff for the sustenance of humans and pets having a composition rich in glycosaminoglycans and glucosamine from vertebrate connective tissue, said foodstuff prepared by a process comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing raw vertebrate connective tissue;
• (b) disintegrating said raw vertebrate connective tissue into an aggregation of particles having a substantially homogenous particle size, thereby forming liquefied connective tissue;
• and
• (c) thermally processing said liquefied connective tissue, resulting in said foodstuff.

A foodstuff for the sustenance of humans and pets having a composition rich in glycosaminoglycans and glucosamine from vertebrate connective tissue, said foodstuff comprising:

• (a) vertebrate connective tissue;
• and
• (b) at least one carrier substrate selected from the group consisting of farinaceous and proteinaceous carriers;
• said foodstuff having a chondroitin sulfate concentration of at least about 0.5 wt % and a glucosamine concentration of at least about 0.3 wt %.

A method of administering glycosaminoglycans and glucosamine from vertebrate connective tissue, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a foodstuff prepared by a process comprising the steps of:
• (i) providing raw vertebrate connective tissue,
• (ii) disintegrating said raw vertebrate connective tissue into an aggregation of particles having a substantially homogenous particle size, thereby forming liquefied connective tissue, and
• (iii) thermally processing said liquefied connective tissue, resulting in a foodstuff;
• and
• (b) serving said foodstuff to a human or pet for oral ingestion as part of daily food sustenance.

A method of administering glycosaminoglycans and glucosamine from vertebrate connective tissue to a human or pet, said method comprising the step of:

• (a) providing a foodstuff comprising:
• (i) vertebrate connective tissue, and
• (ii) at least one carrier substrate selected from the group consisting of farinaceous and proteinaceous carriers, said foodstuff having a chondroitin sulfate concentration of at least about 0.5 wt % and a glucosamine concentration of at least about 0.3 wt %;
• and
• (b) serving said foodstuff to a human or pet for oral ingestion as part of daily food sustenance.