Physicochemical Parameters of Raw Pet Food and Dehydrated Pet Treats Developed from Beef Processing Co-Products

Simple Summary Pet food and treat industries are rapidly growing and are important consumers of protein co-products from the human meat processing industry. Unfortunately, there are some co-products such as liver that can be difficult to handle due to the fact it liquifies when ground. This research attempts to address this issue through the use of protein structure forming food technology (hydrocolloids). These technologies may help produce pet foods and treats with higher acceptability, while allow for upcycling of highly nutritious protein co-products. Additions of one such technology (sodium alginate and encapsulated calcium lactate) demonstrated that inclusions of liver could be increased when used in raw pet foods and dehydrated pet treats without negatively impacting chemical attributes that may adversely impact consumer acceptance. 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.