How does the pet food manufacturing process work？
Typical raw materials used in dog food processing include cereal flours, vegetable proteins, minerals and vitamins, and, in some cases, meat or fish meal and fresh meat. The dry ingredients enter the pre-conditioner + and are steam hydrated. A counter-rotating biaxial unit mixes the ingredients and ensures proper mixing of steam, moisture, and ingredients. The pre-treatment produces a partial pasting of the starch and weaving of the polymer.
The partially cooked mixture is then fed into the twin-screw extruder. Shear, internal temperature, pressure, moisture, and residence time are precisely controlled to achieve optimum starch pasting without loss of food quality. At different stages of the process, liquid or steam can be injected through ports in the extruder barrel. At this stage degassing can be carried out using an exhaust filler.
The granules are then shaped as they are extruded through the die. They are then passed through a dryer to reduce the moisture (usually between 8% and 10%). The product is then coated and flavorings and fats are added before cooling and packaging.
