Mixing, extruding & drying in prepared pet food production

In pet food mixing process, the ground meat products are fed in the correct proportions into the mixing tank together with the corn and cereal fillers. Steam continues to cook the mixture and agitators ensure a good mix. Then the mixed semi-moist product is typically extruded under high pressure through a shaped orifice to obtain the shape and size required. The product might take the form of biscuits, kibbles, meat-balls, patties, pellets, or slices. An alternative to extrusion is to gelatinize and expand the mixture. For marbled meat, the mixture of red and white meat is extruded together and broken into chunks. Moist products might also be passed through a dryer to reduce the moisture level and retain the required shape.

KROHNE contactless OPTIWAVE radar level meters can measure and maintain the level in the mixing tanks despite the presence of agitators. The steam flow and the thermal energy delivered can be precisely controlled by OPTISWIRL vortex flowmeters. Fast, robust and extremely accurate OPTITEMP temperature sensors can be used in the drying process. All devices are available with a variety of hygienic connections.