Process for Making a Pet Food in the Form of a Coated Kibble

Abstract

A process of making a pet food include providing a core pellet; providing at least one coating material; applying the coating material to the core pellet to form a coated kibble using a continuous fluidizing mixer; wherein application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number range of from about 0.8 to about 3 and a Peclet number greater than about 6.

1 . A process for making a pet food, comprising:
 a) providing a core pellet;   b) providing at least one coating material;   c) applying the coating material to the core pellet to form a coated kibble using a continuous fluidizing mixer;   wherein application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number range of from about 0.8 to about 3 and a Peclet number greater than about 6.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number range of from about 0.8 to about 2. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number range of from about 0.8 to about 1.2. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number of about 1. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Peclect number greater than about 40. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Peclect number greater than about 100. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Froude Number range of from about 0.8 to about 1.2 and a Peclet number greater than about 100. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the average residence time of the core pellet within the continuous fluidizing mixer is from about 10 seconds to about 600 seconds. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 8  and wherein the average residence time of the core pellet within the continuous fluidizing mixer is from about 30 seconds to about 180 seconds. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number of from about 0.8 to about 1.2, a Peclet number of greater than about 100, and a residence time of from about 10 seconds to about 600 seconds. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the continuous fluidizing mixer utilizes paddles in a rotation that is counter-rotating. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 11  and wherein the counter-rotating paddles causes the core material to have an upwardly convective flow near the center of the continuous fluidizing mixer. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the continuous fluidizing mixer is operated such that the core materials have a flow through the continuous fluidizing mixer of from about 10 kg/hr to about 60,000 kg/hr. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the continuous fluidizing mixer is operated such that the core materials have a flow through the continuous fluidizing mixer of from about 1,000 to about 40,000 kg/hr. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the coating material comprises a Probiotic. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the coating material comprises mannoheptulose. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 1  and wherein the coating material comprises an emulsifier comprising a plurality of hydroxyl groups. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17  and wherein the emulsifier comprises polysorbate ester. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 18  and wherein the polysorbate ester comprises polysorbate 80. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19  and wherein the coating material further comprises a Probiotic.