CA1044942A

CA1044942A - Palatability enhancement with fatty acids

Info

Publication number: CA1044942A
Application number: CA180,511A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Charles W. Kolar (Jr.); Robert K. Mohrman
Original assignee: Ralston Purina Co
Current assignee: Nestle Purina PetCare Co
Priority date: 1972-10-13
Filing date: 1973-09-07
Publication date: 1978-12-26
Also published as: IT997757B; BE805972A; SE388761B; DK144582B; AU6120373A; DE2351467A1; DK144582C; DE2351467B2; FR2202656B1; GB1426257A; AU461510B2; NL7313644A; JPS5121908B2; AT334185B; ATA841373A; JPS4969461A; NO138187B; LU68567A1; NO138187C; FR2202656A1

Abstract

PALATABILITY ENHANCEMENT WITH FATTY ACIDS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

This application discloses a method of enhancing the flavor of a dog food composition by adding flavor improving fatty acids to the feed composition. The fatty acids may be applied directly to the food particles, mixed with the food particles, applied over a fat coating, or incorporated in a fat coating. The flavoring may be added in the amount of between about 0.00001 - 0.1% by weight of the food and the flavor enhanced acids comprise caprylic acid, capric acid and mixtures thereof.

Description

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" PALATABILITY ENHANCEMENT WITH F~TTY ACIDS

Background of the Invention -Commercial pet foods are produced in three common forms, dry pet foods, intermediate moisture pet foods and high moisture or canned pet foods. Typical dry pet foods are disclosed by United States Patents 3,119,619, 309,503, 1,354,068 and

2,168,532. The dried particles usually have a moisture content as great as 10% by weight. A typical intermediate product having a moisture content of about 25% by weight is disclosed by United States Patent 3,202,514. A canned ration is disclosed by United States Patent 3,574,633, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that canned rations contain generally greater than 50% moisture and upwards to about 75% moisture.
This latter patent exemplifies a canned food product for pets containing in the neighborhood of 60% - 76% moisture by weight.
Commercial pet oods are usually formulated to provide complete nutrition for the animals consuming the products in one food. This is done by combining into the product ingred-ients which will balance and supply the nutritional requirements of the animal. The purchasers of the product find this desir-able since it contributes to the good healLh of their pets and is more convenient to ~eed than a complex multi-component diet.
Feeding a single ration diet does contribute to feeding problems, however. The routineness of a one ration diet can re-sult in poor food consumption for pets. Particularly, some pets _ I ~
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becoms finicky and will ultimately reject a diet if it is fed ; exclusivèly or if its initial palatability is low. Some pets also will reject particular rations initially even if they provide complete nutrition, if the ration is not palatable to the pet.
Summary Of The Invention We have found that it is possible to increase the palatability of dried, intermediate moisture, and canned dog foods to a point where the initial palatability is increased markedly for a broader spectrum of pets thereby increasing the initial acceptance and continued appeal of the products. The method for increasing the palatabillty involves adding flavor enhancing fatty a~ids to the food composition. The acids may be added to the food particles to cover a major portion of the exposed surfaces of the particles, but need not be applied as a continuous film or layer.
Some exposed areas on the particle surfaces which are not covered with acid will not prevent the acid coated areas from producing a substantial increase in the particle palatability. The flavor enhancing fatty acids may also be incorporated directly into the food matrix, for example, by mixing prior to forming. Flavor enhancing fatty acids are caprylic acid, capric acid, and mixtures thereof. The increase in palatability is specific for canines.
The fatty acids may be added in amounts ranging up to about 0.1~
depending on the compound used, to be effective in achieving sig-nificant flavor enhancement. Amounts of flavor enhancer as low as 0.00001~ have been found to be effective. Caprylic acid is most effective in proportions between about 0.0001 to 0.05~ hy weight and capric acid is most effective in proportions between about 0.0001 to 0.1% by weight.

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The coated product may have the flavor enhancing fatty acid in a concentrated layer at the sur~ace, but the layer need not be continuous. The fatty acid layer may also be formed by coating the product with a dispersion of fat and fatty acid.
Three to twelv`e percent edible fat, preferably an animal fat such as lard or tallow, but also vegetable fats, may be added to the product in the coating process. The at coating acts as a carrier for the fatty acid. The fat-flavor enhancer dispersion is best applied by spraying at a temperature above the fat melting point.
Fatty acid treated canned and intermediate moisture products may be fed to animals as is; dry treated products will ; normally be moistened with water. The fatty acid on the surface of the coated food particles provides an unusual and unexpected boost in palatability. ~hen animals ea~ the co~ted particles, the fatty acid is present on the surface and is immediately avail-able to the animals' taste sensors. The stimulation provided is thus achieved at low levels of fatty acid addition and the possibllity of significantly disturbing the nutritional balance of the food particles is avoided. We have found, however, that the fatty acids may also be incorporated in the food matrix and will provide an unexpected palatability increase.
Description Of_The Preferred Embodiments The flavor enhancing acid may be incorporated directly into pet food products, such as canned or extruded rations, by mixing into the starting basal prior to autoclaving or extruding.
Products which are formed by extrusion, e.g., dry and intermediate moisture products, are preferably treated by applying the flavor to the product after it is formed, however. The preferred method ' .

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of addition of flavor is with a dispersion of melted fat. A pre-mix of melted fat and flavor is made up and thoroughly mixed and the mixture is applied to the formed particles of product, prefer-ably by spraying. The spraved product may then be tumbled to dis-tribute the fat and flavor more uniformly over the surface of the product. The tumbling wlll usually be conducted at a temperature above the melting point of the fat. Typically the fat addition will be from about 3 to 12% by ~eight of the ration.
The invention is more fully describea by the following examples which are chosen from the many experiments which were conducted to define the invention and axe intended to be represen-tative o preferred embodiments of the invention and not restrictive of the scope of the invention.
Exam~
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Dried extruded kibs at about 120 F. were carried from a drier to the top of a spray chamber by a belt conveyor. The kibs were dropped from the conveyor belt in a sheet and fell through the spray chamber. Spxay heads located on both sides of the fall-ing sheet sprayed a dispersion of melted tallow containing 0.02%
of a 56/44 mixture of caprylic acid and capric acid on the hot kibs as they fell throuyh the spray chamber. The fatty acid-fat dispersion was sprayed on the kibs in a ratio of 6 parts by weight dispersion to ~4 parts by weight of kibs. The spray coated kibs were collected at the bottom of the spray chamber and were conveyed to a tumbling drum. The tumbling drum was maintained at a temper-ature above the melting point of the fat, approximately 140 F.
The kibs were tumbled in the drum at about 12 revolutions per minute for about three minutes or until the kibs had a substantially .

~ ~P-3~4 -- S --uniform coating of fat and acid. The coated kibs were removed from the tumbling drum and cooled to ambient temperature. The cooled kibs had a coating containing about 6% by weight added fat and about .001% by weight flavor enhancer based on the total weight of the ~oated kib.
Example 2 Hot pelleted kibs were carried from the pelleting die to the top of a spray chamber by belt conveyor. The kibs dropped from the conveyor in a sheet and fell through the spray chamber.
Spray heads located on both sides of the falling sheet sprayed a dispersion containin~ 0.02% caprylic acid in melted fat. The fat coated kibs were collected at the bottom of the spray chamber and were conveyed to a tumbling drum. The fat was sprayed on the kibs in the ratio of 6 parts by weight fat to 94 parts by weight of kibs. The drum was maintained at about 140 F. The kibs were tumbled in the drum at about 12 rev~lutions per minute. 5ubstan-tially uniformly coated kibs were removed from the drum after ; about three minutes and cooled to ambient temperature. The cooled kibs had a coating containing about 0.001~ flavor enhàncer and 6 fat based on the total weight of the coated kib.
Example 3 Hot baked kibs were carried from an oven to the top of a spray chamber by a belt conveyor. The kibs dropped from the con-veyor belt in a sheet and fell through the spray chamber. Spray `25 heads located on both sides of the falling sheet sprayed a disper-~` ~ sion of melted animal fat containing 0.02% capric acid on the kibs.
The dispersion was sprayed on the kibs in the ratio of 6 parts by weight dispersion to 94 parts by weight kibs. The coated kibs ' ' ~ SP-384 ,~ .

were collected at the bottom of the spray chamber and were con-veyed to a tumbling drum. The kibs were tumbled in the drum at about 140 F. and at about 12 revolutions per minute for about 3 minutes, to coat the fat substantially uniformly on the kibs. The ~ibs were removed from the drum and contained about 0.001% flavor enhancer and about 6% by weight fat.
Example 4 An intermediate moisture animal food with a moisture con-tent of about 25~ was cut into plastic cylinders of about 1/2 ~nch length. The cylinders were conducted to a tumbling drum and were tumbled gently in the drum at about 12 revolutions per minute.
Enough water was sprayed into the drum to bring the moisture con-tent of extruded cylinders to about 30%. The rotation of the drum was continued until the added moisture had permeated the extruded cylinders. A dispersion of melted fat and flavor enhancer con-taining 0.02% o~ a 50/50 mixture of caprylic acid an* capric acid was sprayed into the tumbling drum in the ratio of 6 parts by weight fat and fatty acid dispersion to 94 pàrts by weight of moistened extruded cylinders. The tumbling drum was rotated until the cylinders were substantial}y uniformly covered with the disper-sion. The coated cylinders were then removed from the tumbling drum. The coated cylinders had a coating composèd of about 6 added fat and about .001% flavor enhancer based on the total weight of the coated cylinders.
Example 5 Example 1 was-repeated using a fat-flavor enhancer dis-persion containing 0.02%of a caprylic acid to produce kibs contain-ing about 6% fat and about 0.001~ flavor enhancer.

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Ex~ple 6 Example 1 was repeated using a fat-flavor enhancer dis-persion containiny 0.02~ capric acid to produce kibs containing ~ about 6~ fat and ahout 0.001% flavor enhancer.
EY~ample 7 Example 1 was repeated using a fat-flavor enhancer dis-persion containing 0.002% of caprylic acid ~o produce kibs contain-ing about 6~ fat and about 0.00016 flavor enhancer.
Example 8 ~o ~xample 1 was repeated usin~ a fat-flavor enhancer dis-persion containing 0.2% of capric acid to produce kibs containing about 6~ fat and about 0.01~ flavor enhancer.
Example 9 A canned dog food product was produced from ~5 meat by-products 30.0 parts by weight whole chicken 7.5 parts by weight whole fish 5.0 parts by weight extruded soy fibers7.5 parts by weight water of processing~7.0 parts by weight flavors, vitamins and dyes3.0 parts by weight 100.0 parts by weight by chopping and blending the above ingredients.~ The batch was heated to 170 F. 0.005~ by weight of a 50/S0 mixture of caprylic acid and capric acid was added to the batch and mixed. The mix-~5 ture was canned and retorted (autoclaved) for 85 minutes at 15 psig (250 F.). A parallel batch was prepared without any flavor enhancer.

Example 10 Example 1 was repeated using a fa~-flavor enhancer dis-~l ' ' ' .
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persion containing about 0.9% caprylic acid to produce kibs con-taining about 6~ fat and about 0.05% flavor enhancer.
Example 11 Example 1 was repeated using a fat-flavor enhancer dis-persion containing about 2~ capric acid to produce kibs containing about 0.1% flavor enhancer and about 6~ fat.
Dog food products prepared by the method of our inven-tion exhibit an increase in palatability and an acceptance which i~ quite marked and unexpected. Dogs fed free choice oEten will consume three to four times as much of the product of this inv~n-tion as they will consume of an untreated product having the same nutritional composition and formulation. Table I summarizes a series of tests conducted with standard commercial dog rations or a period of fi~e days. Parallel runs of Examples 1 - 11 were conducted without the addition of flavor enhancer to the products.
Portions of the ration fed plain were compared with the same ration treated by the method of this invention. It is apparent from Table I that the acid treated rations-exhibited an unexpected and wholly unprecedented increase in palatability.
TAB~E I
Method of Wilcox, difference of unranked sign matched pairs.
Total ConsumedDogs Dogs ~o Signi-Ration PoundsPxeferred Preference ficance Plain Dry Ration; 18.5 2 .Q001, Product 0 P 0.01 of Example 7 52.0 13 Plain Dry Ration; 15.3 -.001, Product 0 P 0.01 of Example 6 50.8 13 ~ ' ' ..

~ SP-3~4 Total ConsumedDogs Dogs No Signi-Ration PoundsPreferred Preference ficance Plain Dry Ration; 27.9 2 .05, Product of O P 0.01 Example 10 77.3 18 Plain Dry Ration; 29.6 .1, Prcduct of O P O.Gl Example 11 75.8 19 ~

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
l. A method of enhancing the palatability of a dog food material comprising coating discrete particles of the material with an edible fat and about 0.00001 to 0.1% total of a flavor enhancing acid, said flavor enhancing acid being selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid in an amount of from about 0.00001% to 0.05% and capric acid in an amount of from about 0.00001% to 0.1% by weight of the composition and mixtures thereof.
2. The method of claim l wherein said edible fat is coated on said particles in an amount of about 3 to 12% by weight of said coated particles.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the edible fat is selected from the group consisting of lard and tallow.
4. The method of enhancing the palatability of a dog food material comprising:
a) conducting discrete particles of a dog food material through a spray chamber, b) spraying the particles with a dispersion of a flavor enhancing fatty acid selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid in an amount of from about 0.00001%
to 0.05% and capric acid in an amount of from about 0.00001%
to 0.1% by weight of the particles, and mixtures thereof;
and also spraying fat to coat the particles with about 3 to 12% added fat, and a total of about 0.00001 - 0.1% of the flavor enhancing fatty acid based on the total weight of the coated particles, c) conducting the coated particles to a tumbling drum, a) tumbling the coated particles at a temperature above the melting point of the edible fat to uniformly coat the particles with the edible fat, and e) discharging the coated particles from the tumbling drum to cool them to ambient temperature, whereby a dog food product is formed having greatly enhanced palatability and appeal for dogs.
5. The method of enhancing palatability of a dog food material comprising:
a) conducting discrete particles of a dog food material to a tumbling drum, b) adjusting the moisture content of the particles to about 30% while tumbling the particles in the drum, c) spraying the particles with a dispersion of an edible fat and a flavor enhancing fatty acid selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid in an amount of from about 0.00001% to 0.05% and capric acid in an amount of from about 0.00001% to 0.1% by weight of the composition and mixtures thereof and tumbling the particles in the drum to coat the particles with about 0.00001 to 0.1% total flavor enhancing acid and about 3 to 12% fat based on the total weight of the coated particles, and d) discharging the coated particles from the tumbling drum to cool them to ambient temperature, whereby a dog food product is formed of enhanced palatability for dogs.
6. A method of enhancing the palatability of a dog food composition comprising coating discrete particles of the dog food composition with about 0.00001 to 0.1% total of a flavor enhancing fatty acid selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid in an amount of from about 0.00001% to 0.05% and capric acid in an amount of from about 0.00001% to 0.1% by weight of the composition and mixtures thereof.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the flavor enhancing acid is dispersed in an edible fat for coating of the dog food material.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the dog food material has a moisture content of from about 60 to 76% by weight and is formed by canning and autoclaving.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the dog food material has a moisture content of about 25 to 40% by weight and is formed by extrusion.
10. A method of enhancing the palatability of a dog food material comprising combining nutritious farinac-eous and proteinaceous basal materials, adding a flavor enhancing fatty acid selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid in an amount from about 0.00001% to 0.05%
and capric acid in an amount from about 0.00001% to 0.1%
and mixtures thereof to the basal materials, said flavor enhancing acid being present in an amount between about 0.00001 - 0.1% by weight of the total mixture, and forming the mixture into a food product for dogs having greatly enhanced palatability and appeal.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the dog food material has a moisture content of about 25 to 40% and is formed by extrusion.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said flavor enhancing acid is added to the food in a dispersion of edible melted fat and said fat is added in an amount of from 3 to 12% by weight of the food product.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the fat is selected from the group consisting of lard and tallow.
14. The method of claim 5 wherein the caprylic acid is in an amount from about 0.0001% to 0.05% and the capric acid is in an amount from about 0.0001% to 0.1%.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein the caprylic acid is in an amount from about 0.0001% to 0.05% and the capric acid is in an amount from about 0.0001% to 0.1%.
16. The dog food material when prepared by the process of claim 1, 2 or 3.
17. The dog food material when prepared by the process of claim 4, 5 or 6.
18. The dog food material when prepared by the process of claim 7, 8 or 9.
19. The dog food material when prepared by the process of claim 10, 11 or 12.
20. The dog food material when prepared by the process of claim 13, 14 or 15.