A reputable brand should also be open about where and how its food is made …
food & treats
The recipe
Every bag of kibble starts with a carefully formulated recipe. Pet nutritionists and veterinary scientists balance the right proportions of proteins, grains, fats, vitamins and minerals to ensure the food is nutritionally balanced and complete.
Marco explains that once the recipe has been finalised, each ingredient is carefully sourced and quality-checked before it enters production. Every batch of raw materials is tested on arrival to ensure it meets strict safety and quality standards. Ingredients such as deboned chicken, beef meal, fish, lentils, rice, peas, fats and a vitamin premix are then carefully weighed as per the recipe.
“ These ingredients are milled into a fine, consistent flour so everything mixes evenly,” says Marco.“ The mix is batched to a precise recipe, conditioned with steam and moisture, and then cooked and shaped through an extruder.”
An extruder is a high-pressure, high-temperature cooker.“ The conditioned dough is forced through a long barrel by a rotating screw, where heat, pressure and friction cook it in a matter of seconds.” The intense heat improves nutrient digestibility by gelatinising starches and destroying harmful bacteria such as salmonella.
The cooked dough is then pushed through a die, which gives the kibble its shape before it is cut to size as it exits.“ The sudden drop in pressure causes the pieces to expand, creating that light, crunchy texture.”
Fresh out of the extruder, the kibble is still soft and contains a high level of moisture. It passes through long-drying ovens until its moisture content drops to around 8 – 10 %, giving it the shelf-life consumers expect.
“ It is then coated with fats and palatants that enhance flavour and aroma,” explains Marco.“ Finally, every batch is quality-checked, weighed and sealed into bags designed to keep it fresh before being packed and dispatched. From raw ingredients to sealed bags, every step is carefully monitored.”
Quality and safety checks
You can rest assured that reputable pet food manufacturers monitor quality and safety at every stage of the production process.
“ Raw materials are tested on arrival, including for contaminants such as mycotoxins, which are naturally occurring toxins produced by moulds that can affect grains,” explains Marco.“ Only approved batches are allowed into production.”
As mentioned, the extrusion process itself is a critical foodsafety step. The combination of high heat and pressure destroys harmful pathogens such as salmonella, making the kibble safe to eat.
“ But that’ s only part of the process,” says Marco.“ Reputable manufacturers operate food-safety management systems based on principles such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
A reputable brand should also be open about where and how its food is made …
( HACCP). These include regular microbiological testing of finished products; complete traceability so every batch can be tracked; strict hygiene and cleaning protocols, and comprehensive pest control throughout the facility.”
Rather than relying on a single inspection at the end of production, quality and safety are built into every stage of the manufacturing process, creating multiple layers of protection from raw ingredients to the finished bag of kibble.
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