Pet humanization and premiumization of pet foods have led to significant changes in the co-product market, as pet food companies are looking for more profitable protein sources for their products. Co-products such as beef liver (BL) and beef heart (BH) can be combined to generate restructured pet foods rich in vitamins and nutrients. Sodium alginate and encapsulated calcium lactate (ALGIN) can improve the acceptability of meat pieces by transforming them into a singular shape. The objective of this experiment was to assess the physiochemical parameters of co-products for utilization in raw pet foods and restructured pet treats generated from BL and BH by using ALGIN as a structure-forming agent. Results demonstrated increased cooking loss as ALGIN inclusion decreased, but cooking loss decreased as BL proportions increased (p = 0.0056). Expressible moisture of raw pet food decreased as ALGIN inclusion increased, but more moisture was released from treats when BL proportions increased (p < 0.0001). Increasing ALGIN and BH led to increased water activity of cooked treats (p < 0.0001). Thus, we suggest that BL and BH combinations with ALGIN inclusion produces a viable platform for higher inclusions of co-products in pet treats. Additionally, these ingredients improved the finished product quality characteristics of raw pet foods.

Poultry co-product chicken frames (CF) and wooden breast (WB) along with ingredient technology use may bring enhanced value to the pet food industry. Therefore, the current study focused on evaluating CF and WB combinations along with sodium alginate and encapsulated calcium lactate pentahydrate (ALGIN) inclusion within a fresh pet food formulation under simulated shelf-life conditions. Fresh chicken frames (CF) and boneless-skinless wooden breast (WB) were ground and allocated randomly to one of ten treatment combinations with either 0.5 or 1.0% added ALGIN. Ground treatments were placed into a form and fill vacuum package and stored using a reach-in refrigerated case for 21 days. Packages were evaluated for instrumental surface color, lipid oxidation, water activity, and pH on days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 of the display. Packages of pet food were lighter, less red, and more yellow (p < 0.05) with increasing percentages of CF regardless of ALGIN inclusion, whereas pH was greater (p < 0.05) and lipid oxidation was less (p < 0.05) with increasing percentage of WB. Water activity increased (p < 0.05) when WB and ALGIN inclusion increased. The current results suggest that the use of ALGIN in a poultry co-product pet food formulation can improve shelf-life characteristics such as surface color and lipid oxidation in fresh pet food.

By-products such as beef liver (BL) and beef heart (BH), while rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, can be difficult products for incorporation into mixtures. Sodium alginate (SA) and calcium lactate (CL) can be used to improve structure of protein sources. The objective was to determine the quality of restructured BL and BH pet treats using ALGIN as a structure forming agent. Quality parameters assessed were pH, expressible moisture, cooking loss, and water activity of raw and dehydrated pet treats. After grinding, BL and BH, were mixed: 25%BL:75%BH, 50%BL:50%BH, and 75%BL:25%BH. The 3 BL:BH combinations were mixed with 2 dosages of ALGIN (0.5% SA + 0.425% CL, and 1% SA + 0.85% CL) to produce 6 treatments. Each treatment was then extruded into 20-mm-thick jerky slices and refrigerated at 3°C for 48 h. Samples were dehydrated at 93°C for 2.5 h for cooking loss analysis. Ten raw samples (25.4 mm × 25.4 mm) were used to measure expressible moisture, and another ten raw samples were used to measure pH. Water activity was assessed on ten raw and ten dehydrated samples. Data were analyzed with the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS and means were separated at P ≤ 0.05. Cooking loss decreased as ALGIN dosage increased in all BL and BH mixtures (P &lt; 0.0001); however, cooking loss percentage increased as BH proportions increased (P = 0.0001). Water activity of dehydrated samples decreased as BL proportions increased (P &lt; 0.0001), but with increasing ALGIN dosage, water activity of dehydrated treats increased (P = 0.0193). Raw pH was not affected by treatment. Expressible moisture of samples increased with increasing BL proportions (P &lt; 0.0001) but decreased as ALGIN dosage decreased (P &lt; 0.0001). Use of ALGIN allowed for BL and BH to be restructured into an acceptable form for use in pet treats.

The development and availability of meat-based food and treats for pets in the retail space continues to increase at a rapid pace. The current study focused on the evaluation of sodium alginate and encapsulated calcium lactate (ALGIN) inclusion within a fresh pet food formulation and subsequent influence on shelf-life characteristics. Poultry co-products are often undervalued throughout the meat industry due to their poor quality and low customer acceptance. However, it is plausible that these co-products could be a potential key component in adding value to the pet food industry. In addition, the use of ALGIN within a ground chicken co-product formulation may create a pet food worth generating a greater retail value for the manufacturer. Fresh chicken frames (CF) and boneless-skinless wooden breast (WB) were purchased from a commercial poultry processing facility and ground. Ground CF and WB (COMB) were allocated randomly to one of ten treatment combinations with either 0.5 or 1.0% added ALGIN. Ground treatments were portioned into 454 g bricks, placed into a form and fill vacuum package, sealed and displayed in a reach-in refrigerated cases for 21 days. Packages of fresh pet food were evaluated for surface color, lipid oxidation, water activity, and pH on days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 of the simulated display. Instrumental surface color was lighter, less red, and more yellow (P &lt; 0.05) with increasing percentages of CF regardless of ALGIN inclusion. Whereas pH was greater (P &lt; 0.05) and lipid oxidation were lower (P &lt; 0.05) with increasing percentage of WB. Water activity increased (P &lt; 0.05) when WB and ALGIN inclusion increased. These results suggest that the impact of ALGIN in a poultry co-product pet food formulation are minimal. However, the inclusion percentage of CF or WB could have a greater impact on shelf-life characteristics of fresh pet food.