THERMAL PROCESS CHARACTERIZATION OF MOIST PET FOOD: PROXIMATE ANALISYS AND THERMO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND THERMAL RESISTANCE OF CLOSTRIDIUM SPOROGENES.

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to study the proximate analysis and thermo-physical properties of a high-moisture, low-acid pet food, commercially destined to small animals. The product is composed of meat chunks in a meat loaf background, thermally processed through sterilization. The thermal inactivation characteristics of Clostridium sporogenes, a target microorganism, were also determined. Thermal conductivity, specific heat, density and thermal diffusivity values determined for the meat chunks were 0.34 W/(m*K), 2.91 kJ/(kg*K), 1,082.9 kg/m³ e 1.08·10⁻⁷ m²/s, respectively. For the meat loaf, the thermal conductivity, specific heat, density and thermal diffusivity values were 0.46 W/(m*K), 3.41 kJ/(kg*K), 1,002.0 kg/m³ and 1.36·10⁻⁷ m²/s, respectively. Thermal inactivation of C. sporogenes followed a first-order kinetic reaction. The D_110C, D_115C e D_118C values were 20.7, 9.7 and 6.1 min, respectively, with z of 15.0C (meat chunks); and 20.3, 9.5 and 6.3 min, respectively, with z of 15.6C (meat loaf). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The commercial pet food importance is growing, although the available data for process design are still rare. Data scarcity makes process comparison and design difficult as well as new product development. High-moisture pet food obtained from meat emulsion has characteristics and composition similar to meat products, being processed by thermal sterilization to guarantee safety and preservation. The results obtained at the present work can contribute for future studies of food and pet food thermal processes. Moreover, it can be directly used for processing design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]