Discover Wet Pet Food Processing Equipment Solutions

April 14, 2023

Author: Annabel Norris, Marketing Manager

Advances in food and beverage processing technology are now being applied to the pet food industry, offering manufacturers a range of innovative cooking and cooling methods tailored to their specific product needs. These pet food processing equipment solutions address the growing demand for efficiency, quality, and nutritional integrity in wet pet food processing.

Jet Process Technology: A Game-Changer in pet food processing equipment

The Jet Process System represents a significant advancement in pet food manufacturing, particularly for producers requiring reduced processing times, large throughput capacities, and high-temperature sterilisation.

Key Benefits of Jet Process Technology:

• High Speed & Large Throughputs: The Jet Process enables rapid temperature increases, allowing pet food to reach up to 148°C within seconds. Powders such as gums, gels, vitamins, and hydrocolloids are efficiently entrained, heated, mixed, and hydrated in just a few minutes. A recent implementation of this system, occupying only 120 square metres, demonstrated the ability to produce 18,000 kilograms of wet pet food per hour.
• Compact Footprint: By streamlining operations, we reduce the need for multiple processing vessels. It integrates cooking, entrainment, and sterilisation into a single pass, eliminating the requirement for large retorts and associated equipment commonly found in traditional systems.
• Reduced Water, Energy, and Labour Costs: The simplified design minimises energy consumption and the need for large volumes of water and caustic chemicals used in cleaning. Additionally, the system can be operated by a single person, significantly reducing labour requirements.

Sous Vide: A Nutrient-Preserving Method for Premium Pet Food

As the pet food market trends towards bespoke, fresh-prepared, human-grade products, Sous Vide cooking has emerged as an effective method for maintaining nutritional content and enhancing flavour. This technique involves vacuum-sealing pet food in airtight plastic pouches and cooking it in water at low temperatures for extended periods.

Benefits of Sous Vide for Wet Pet Food Processing:

• Health Benefits: Traditional high-temperature cooking can diminish the nutritional value of ingredients. In contrast, Sous Vide preserves the natural nutrients in meats and vegetables, promoting healthier, more nutritious pet food.
• High Yields: Sous Vide cooking virtually eliminates the risk of overcooking or burning, resulting in higher yields and more flavourful products. The method also locks in natural juices without the need for added ingredients or fats.
• Minimised Process and Labour Costs: Sous Vide cooking can be largely unsupervised, with the ability to cook, chill, store, and re-thermalize food within the same packaging. This efficiency leads to substantial cost savings in both processing and labour.

DC Norris offer a variety of fully automated Industrial Sous Vide Cook Tanks for dog and cat food processing – speak to an expert for further information.