The impact of temperature on pet food nutrition is concentrated on heat-sensitive components. Ingredients such as taurine, vitamin C, and probiotics added to cat and dog food are extremely sensitive to temperature. Taurine, an essential component for cats' vision development, undergoes significant degradation above 130℃, with a loss rate exceeding 30%. Probiotics are completely inactivated above 100℃, losing their function in regulating intestinal flora. Therefore, the temperature of pet food extrusion machines must be strictly controlled between 105-120℃. This range ensures a starch gelatinization rate of 70%-80%, guaranteeing feed formability and digestibility, while maximizing the retention of heat-sensitive nutrients.
Controlling palatability and flavor is another core aspect of temperature control. Cats prefer a smooth texture in their food, so the extrusion temperature should be controlled between 105-115℃ to create a uniform honeycomb structure within the pellets, resulting in a soft texture and enhancing the flavor of the meat ingredients while preventing a burnt taste from high temperatures. Dogs prefer a slightly chewy texture, so the temperature can be raised to 115-120℃ to create a denser pellet structure with a hardness controlled between 20-25N. This facilitates chewing and cleaning teeth without being too hard and damaging gums. If the temperature is too high, the food will have a burnt, bitter taste, causing cats and dogs to refuse to eat it; if the temperature is too low, the food will be dry and lack flavor, also affecting appetite.
Temperature control is even more crucial for special-purpose pet foods. For easily digestible feeds for senior cats and dogs, the temperature is controlled at 105-110℃ to reduce feed hardness and improve digestibility and absorption. For low-fat feeds for obese cats and dogs, which contain more dietary fiber, the temperature can be slightly higher, at 115-120℃, to ensure the fiber is fully expanded and increases satiety. For puppy and kitten formula, the temperature must be strictly controlled below 105℃, and the added whey protein should be used to prevent protein denaturation and coagulation caused by high temperatures.
To ensure precise temperature control, pet food production employs a "low-temperature extrusion + post-coating" process. After the extruder completes basic extrusion at 105-120℃, heat-sensitive ingredients (such as probiotics and vitamins) are sprayed onto the feed surface using a post-coating device when the feed cools to below 60℃. This ensures both the quality of the extruded feed and precise retention of nutrients. Simultaneously, high-precision platinum resistance sensors are installed in each section of the extruder to improve temperature detection accuracy to ±0.5℃, ensuring precise temperature control.
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