petfoodpro 3/2023

International Magazine September 2023 ISSN 2628-5851 

Technology & Marketing 3/23 

Ingredients: Insect Proteins, Weight Reduction, Sustainable Nutrition, Antioxidants 

Processing: Sorting Technology, Reliable Drying, Effortless Processing, Snacks 

Packaging: Intelligent Packaging, Thermo Forming, Weighing Efficiency 

Marketing: Anuga FoodTec, Interzoo 2024, Vet´s Corner

Prof. Visscher from the University of 

Veterinary Medicine Hannover and top 

speakers from the industry 

Factory tour of the most modern insect 

facility in Germany 

Exchange with producers of insect 

protein and tat 

Gala Dinner & Networking Event 

Organized and hosted by 

() 

FARMINSECT 

Largest producer of regional 

and sustainable insects 

X 

(u) 

greclo 

Leading processor 

ofinsects

EDITORIAL 

Discovering Cats 

My wife has been adopted. It came as 

rather a surprise, but the whole family 

is delighted. There’s a lot of truth in the 

saying that cats choose their hosts, rather 

than the other way around, as with other 

pets. The interesting thing is that my wife 

didn’t actually want a pet at the moment, 

and certainly not a cat, after having been 

bitten as a child. 

It came about when our next-door 

neighbours moved and the new catloving 

neighbours accepted an additional 

responsibility. During the upheaval we had 

a visitor, who was looking for a peaceful 

corner. As we stroked her and gave her a 

little snack, as you do, she decided to stay 

for a while. My wife found the purring and 

stroking very peaceful herself and one 

thing led to another. During our vacation 

we spent a lot of time in the garden, the 

three of us, and found it very relaxing. 

As a child I lived on a farm, so I knew 

more about working dogs, as well as 

cows, geese and horses before starting 

this magazine. Cats were there to catch 

mice. Since this summer I have learned 

more about domestic cats. “Our“ cat 

(who prefers not to be named to keep 

her reputation intact) does give a lot of 

love, it’s true. She also looks for food, 

water, snacks and a bed for the day-time 

rests. She is also aware of her territory and 

defends it fiercely. This mostly happens 

at dawn or dusk and is loudest when we 

have just gone to sleep. 

The new neighbours (and official owners 

of the cat) report that she comes to eat 

and socialise every day, but they are 

happy if she is sharing herself around. We 

have spent time discovering what the pet 

food industry has been putting together 

to keep these special animals content. 

We were surprised at how many different 

kinds of food there is, wet and dry, for 

adults, juniors and seniors. And how many 

toys! We spent a long time in one or two 

stores and took home a small selection. 

A cat‘s traits include its small size, social 

nature, obvious body language, love of 

play, and high intelligence. It is fascinating 

Ian D. Healey, Editor-in-Chief 

and somehow bewitching to observe 

and be a part of. Having accepted one 

cat into the extended family, we then 

found they often visit each other! Our 

garden has become a meeting place and 

entertainment centre and we are richer 

because of it. 

Never a dull moment! 

Sincerely 

If you like it subscribe! 

Issue 3 2023 

3

CONTENTS 






Marketing: Anuga FoodTec, Interzoo 2024, Vet´s Corner 

Issue 3 September 2023 

Shifting consumer expectations make it more important now than ever before 

for processors and renderers to have effective safeguards in place, to protect 

food safety and product quality, whilst also minimizing food waste to improve 

sustainability and profitability. These things have always mattered, of course, but 

thanks to technical advances of modern sorting machines, there are solutions to 

all of these challenges. 

The Cover Story starts on page 6 

Cover: TOMRA Food 

Ingredients 

Processing 

6 Spotlight on Protein Sorting 

10 Tereos Launches Profeed ADVANCED®, a Complementary 

Feed to Support Dogs’ Immune Function 

11 Low Glycaemic Properties of Isomaltulose Confirmed in Dogs 

14 High-quality, Functional, and Sustainable: the Current 

Trends in Natural Dog Nutrition 

18 Protection of Pet Food with Natural and Cost-effective 

Antioxidants Solutions 

21 Insects in Pet Food: Do Insect Larvae Outcompete Classic 

Protein Sources? 

23 Nutrition Brand Evolution with Nuvin 

24 Efficient Process Technology for Dogs and Cats 

26 Technology for Pet Food Snacks and Treats 

28 Energy-saving and Reliable Drying of Cat Food 

31 New Concept Revolutionizes Animal Feed Production 

35 Deadly Mycotoxins in Pet Food Cost Pet Health and Brand 

Trust: There is an Answer 

36 Sustainability in Pet Food Production? Important Steps and 

Solutions! 

Just as human diets are different, so are those of our pets: True 

to the motto "what's good for me can't be bad for my dog", 

owners (often unconsciously) adapt their pet's diet to their own. 

Preferably fresh and natural ingredients find their way into the 

bowl – with a demand for quality and positive health effects. 

The nutritional spectrum is wide ranging. Take a look at our 

analysis on page 14. 

Industrial machines are a major investment in which sustainability 

plays a key role. Production line components are expected 

to process tens of thousands of tonnes of raw materials for many 

years. The animal feed market is growing and producers need to 

keep pace. A German company has just made such an investment 

and relies on two automatic industrial grinders, which take high 

processing volumes in their stride. See page 31 

4 

Technology & Marketing

Departments 

3 Editorial 

52 Upcoming Events 

52 Impressum 

Events / Marketing 

46 Young and Innovative: Interzoo 2024 Encouraging Start-ups 

47 We Mourn the Loss of our Friend and Partner 

48 Interview with Dr. Gilch, specialist veterinary practice 

50 Premiere of the Pet Food Zone at Anuga FoodTec 2024 

Your Recipe. 

Automated to Perfection. 

Food-focused. Global resources 

that deliver. 

Whether it’s storing, sifting, metering, 

weighing or transferring, Shick Esteve 

is your complete ingredient automation 

systems provider. 

Packaging 

38 Sustainable Packaging for Dry Pet Food 

41 Weighing Technology Helps Petfood Line Efficiency 

42 Robotic Technology Answers Multiple Needs for PetFood 

43 Coveris Expands Pet-Food Business With a Further 

Acquisition in CEE. 

44 Pet Food Packaged in an Efficient, Resource-saving and 

Eye-catching Way 

A significant category in pet food is snacks, such as dog or 

cat treats. In this competitive sector, pet food manufacturers 

must be able to adapt quickly to the latest trends, so that they 

can always meet the current customer needs. Here, packaging 

plays a key role, where high performance traysealers and 

thermoformers and the development of innovative packaging 

concepts can provide support. Full details on page 44. 

shickesteve.com/fr | +33 (0)2 48 66 60 60 


5

COVER STORY 

Spotlight on Protein Sorting 

Maximizing protein´s profitability from meat, poultry, rendering and pet food 

Producing and selling tasty, protein-rich petfood shouldn’t be compromised. TOMRA's equipment helps prevent unwanted foreign 

materials. Photos: TOMRA Food 

There’s money in protein. Whether 

it’s meat or poultry, and whether it’s 

processed for human consumption or 

rendered for pet food, it’s worth making 

the effort to extract every possible 

kilogram of saleable raw materials. But 

this is a business with risks. 

For one thing, derived meat for rendering 

delivered by slaughterhouses typically 

contains foreign materials, and these can 

be so difficult to detect that they get all 

the way down the processing line into the 

final product. For another, when rendered 

meat and poultry are turned into dry 

pet food, one type of kibble can easily 

get cross-contaminated with another, 

so that packages mistakenly contain 

unlisted ingredients. And if potentially 

harmful products get into the hands of an 

unhappy customer with a cellphone and 

social media access, the retailer’s brand 

reputation can quickly be damaged. 

These threats mean it is crucial for 

processors and renderers to have 

effective safeguards in place to protect 

food safety and product quality, whilst 

also minimizing food waste to improve 

sustainability and profitability. These 

things have always mattered, of course, 

but shifting consumer expectations make 

them more important now than ever 

before. 

Risks, yes - but potentially big 

rewards 

The risks and rewards of meat processing 

and rendering are increasing for two 

big reasons. One is that consumers have 

become far less tolerant of imperfections 

in the food they buy for themselves or 

their pets. The other is that the demand 

for high-quality, protein-rich foods for 

people and pets is growing fast. 

In fact, mankind’s need for proteins is 

set to skyrocket. The United Nations’ 

Food and Agriculture Division predicts 

that by 2050 global meat production 

will double - yes, double! - as the world’s 

population increases from 7.9 billion 

people to 9.8 billion. At the same time, 

increasing wealth in developing nations 

will empower greater numbers of people 

to spend more on food. 

Demand for pet food is also booming. 

Market researchers forecast that this 

market’s global value will increase in the 

next seven years at a compound annual 

growth rate of almost five percent, from 

$94bn in 2020 to $137bn in 2028. What’s 

more, this market is being reshaped 

by the ‘humanization’ of products that 

contain fresh ingredients, superfoods, 

and high protein - and premium products 

can command premium prices. 

Increasing meat production is good news 

for processors and renderers, but there is a 

downside: meat and dairy production are 

responsible for a whopping 14% of global 

greenhouse gas emissions. This means it’s 

imperative to minimize food waste - not 

only by getting retailers and consumers 

into the habit of throwing away less, but 

also by making more efficient use of the 

potentially usable food in livestock. 

For these reasons, rendering is an 

environmentally-friendly way to recycle 

material that would otherwise be wasted 

- and it also reduces the greenhouse 

gas emissions that would come from 

6 


COVER STORY 

the natural decomposition of animal 

parts in compost or landfill. The National 

Renderers Association in the USA 

calculates that rendering animal tissues 

rather than leaving them to decompose 

has the same effect on greenhouse gas 

emissions as removing 12.2 million cars 

from the road. 

Sorting machines solve the 

problems 

Thanks to technical advances, there 

are solutions to all of these challenges. 

TOMRA Food, the leading manufacturer of 

sensor-based sorters for the food industry, 

offers machines that safeguard brand 

reputations and enhance sustainability 

by reducing food waste, protecting food 

safety, and consistently maintaining high 

product standards. 

The TOMRA 5B safeguards producers and brands against complaints and recalls 

Modern optical sorting machines also 

solve the widespread problem of labor 

scarcity, as well as helping to eliminate 

the health risks inherent on processing 

lines - as the COVID-19 pandemic drags 

on - when people have to spend a long 

time standing close to each other. And 

whereas manual sorting is subjective, 

imperfect, and especially vulnerable 

to errors when laborers are tired or 

bored, automated sorters work from the 

beginning to the end of each shift with 

unflagging accuracy. 

TOMRA’s sorters detect and eject 

unwanted materials from processing 

lines that simply cannot be seen by the 

human eye or inferior machines. They do 

this by inspecting materials according 

to their shape, color, structure, size, and 

even their biological characteristics. 

TOMRA also offers machines with x-ray 

technology to detect the presence in 

food of high-density foreign materials. 

For additional advantages, TOMRA’s 

machines can be connected to TOMRA 

Insight, a web-based data platform that 

gathers sorting data in real-time and 

stores this securely in the cloud. Live 

data can be reacted to immediately 

(and remotely) to optimize machine 

settings; historical data can be used 

to quantify and compare the quality 

of materials from suppliers. Such data 

analysis will become increasingly 

valuable as we move into a digitized 

future, transforming sorting from an 

operational process into a strategic 

management tool. 

So, let’s take a brief look at the sorting 

machines best-suited to meat and poultry 

processors, rendering plants, and pet food 

processors. 

Solutions for meat and poultry 

TOMRA offers sorting solutions for a wide 

variety of meat and poultry applications. 

These are for frozen products such as 

ground meat, nuggets, patties, and bacon 

bits, and for fresh raw products such as 

sausages. 

TOMRA also offers inline inspection 

systems. These help processors determine 

the right fat percentage for any grinder/ 

mixer set-up for minced meat, burgers, 

and sausages, as well as making real-time 

measurements of protein and moisture 

levels. And the QV-P in-line detection 

machine for chicken fillets helps ensure 

that fillets with ‘wooden breast’ don’t end 

up in the final packaging. 

Producing and selling tasty, protein-rich 

sausages shouldn’t be compromised by 

having casing residues still attached to 

the final product (or by any other foreign 

material, for that matter). The TOMRA 

5B safeguards producers and brands 

against complaints and expensive recalls 

by detecting even the smallest casing 

fragments. The TOMRA 5B also controls for 

sausage length, dimensions, discoloration, 

and breakages. And there’s the option to 

sort out the rejects in two streams - one 

for foreign materials and casing remains, 

and one for products that don’t match the 

set scope but can be reused, minimizing 

food waste. 

For IQF products such as chicken nuggets 

or stripes, bacon bits, or other breaded 

or un-breaded products, the best sorters 

are the TOMRA 5C. Located after the 

freezer and close to packaging, this unit 

sets the benchmark in product safety 

at the same time as minimizing false 

rejects and food waste. By using new, 

best-in-class laser technology combined 

with TOMRA’s unique BSI+ (biometric 

signature identification) scanner, the 

unseen becomes visible, making foreign 

materials a problem of the past. These 

technologies are also highly effective at 

sorting-out discoloration, black spots, 

embedded plastic, doubles, thin coating, 

and voids. 

Sorters for pet food and 

rendering 

Producing food for pets is strictly 

regulated by local and global legislation 

which is designed to ensure product 

quality and food safety. Complying with 

these regulations requires the use of 

safe ingredients and additives, hygienic 

processing practices, and HACCP (hazards 

analysis and critical control points) 

management - but even so, there is still 

the risk of foreign materials entering the 

manufacturing facility in raw materials. 

This is why TOMRA works closely not 

only with pet food manufacturers, but 

also with their suppliers in the rendering 

industry. 

Important protein sources in both wet 

and dry pet food are animal-derived 

ingredients. However, entering the 

rendering facilities these ingredients 


7

COVER STORY 

the TOMRA 5B is the perfect solution, 

ensuring that only the right products get 

into the package. 

In wet pet food, the TOMRA 5B is ideal 

for the inbound set-up, where incoming 

frozen blocks pass through either a breaker 

or a grinder before entering the mixer. 

Placed between the breaker/grinder and 

mixer, the TOMRA 5B effectively detects 

and sorts various foreign materials 

including stones, hard and soft plastics, 

metal, wood, glass, rubber and bones. In 

addition to protecting final products from 

unwanted materials, the TOMRA 5B also 

logs every batch, so it is possible to assess 

what’s coming from suppliers accurately. 

The TOMRA 5C sets the benchmark in product safety 

often contain various foreign bodies 

which come from the abattoirs, such as 

rubber parts, foils, wood, glass, and metals. 

This is hard to avoid with an automated 

production line, but also mostly hard to 

detect with conventional methods such 

as metal detection and/or X-ray. 

The TOMRA 5C solves this, preventing 

foreign materials from reaching the pet 

food manufacturer. This sorter often acts 

as the final control on the meal line: placed 

after the final screen, it not only detects 

and rejects even the smallest particle 

of foreign material but also sources out 

all the good product coming from the 

screen, feeding this into the good stream 

again. These capabilities, plus the ability 

to regulate the ash content to enhance 

the final quality, make the TOMRA 5C 

essential for every meal stream. 

In dry pet food, foreign material isn’t the 

only threat - there’s also the problem of 

cross-contamination. And as a solution, 

the TOMRA Nimbus is unbeatable. This 

machine’s various sensors protect against 

foreign materials, loose and embedded, 

and cross-contamination - and with 

TOMRA’s new pet food software, the 

change over from one recipe to the next 

is like a snap of the fingers. This eliminates 

traditional ways of trying to avoid crosscontamination 

which are both timeconsuming 

and product-consuming. 

TOMRA’s unique BSI+ technology checks 

the inside of materials, ensuring that 

different types of kibble don’t get mixed 

even if they are near-identical in outward 

appearance, and by using the new 

petfood software, the operator always has 

the best view on what to produce next. 

For producing best-in-class pet treats 

and snacks, foreign materials must be 

prevented from ending up in the final 

package, and products should have 

the same size, form and color. For this 

The accurate removal of foreign bodies such as food bones and meat is critical 

An investment that pays back 

well 

When processors and renderers first 

adopt TOMRA’s sorting solutions, they 

are pleased to find that the once-steady 

trickle of customer complaints dries up. 

One good example of this is JG Pears, a 

leading processor of animal by-products 

and food waste in the UK, producing a 

range of meals and fat for the pet food 

industry. The company’s Site Manager, 

Craig Harrison, said: “Non-conformances 

with our customers have reduced 

dramatically, and we see very, very little 

waste or foreign bodies in our material. 

Our current customers have seen the 

difference in the finished product and 

there’s lots of interest from additional 

customers enquiring about buying our 

material.” 

In addition to keeping customers happy, 

then, TOMRA’s sorting machines are also a 

key which can unlock new business. One 

of many business leaders who will affirm 

this is Andy Kettle, Managing Director of 

GA Pet Food Partners, Europe’s leading 

manufacturer of private label premium 

dry pet food. Andy commented: “TOMRA’s 

technology has helped us break open new 

markets which previously would not have 

been available to us. For me, it has been 

one of the best investments made by the 

business in the last three to four years.” 

Technology & Marketing 

For more information 

www.tomra.com/petfood 

8 


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INGREDIENTS 

Tereos Launches Profeed 

ADVANCED®, a Complementary 

Feed to Support Dogs’ Immune 

Function 

Tereos is launching Profeed ADVANCED®, 

a complementary feed that is proven* 

to support the immune defence system 

in aging dogs. Developed jointly with 

Lallemand, a leading company in the 

development of yeast, bacteria, and 

their derivatives, Profeed ADVANCED® 

combines Tereos’ short-chain fructooligosaccharides 

(scFOS), already known 

as Profeed®, with new and unique selected 

yeast fractions to tackle the gut microbiota 

and immune changes in elderly dogs. 

Obtained from sugar beet sucrose, 

Profeed® short chain FOS encourages the 

growth of beneficial gut bacteria, while 

new Profeed ADVANCED® combines these 

proven prebiotic effects with the action of 

specifically selected yeast fractions, acting 

as postbiotics. This results in a synergistic 

effect for a unique complementary feed – 

for which a patent is still pending. 

Dr. Cindy Le Bourgot, Nutrition & Health 

Scientist at Tereos, explains: “Tereos’ 

Profeed® range has been a favorite with 

petfood manufacturers for many years, 

and Profeed ADVANCED® is a real step 

forward in helping dogs stay healthier for 

longer. Science and innovation have come 

together to create a symbiotic product 

based on complementary modes of 

action, helping older dogs to stay healthier 

for longer.” 

In dogs, as in humans, the aging process 

leads to an alteration of the gut microbiota 

and a decrease in the efficacy of the 

immune system. Profeed ADVANCED® 

has been designed to support a balanced 

microbiota while sustaining the immune 

system through aging. 

Dr. Francesca Susca, Global Pet Product 

Manager at Lallemand Animal Nutrition 

(Tereos’ development partner), added: 

“Lallemand has worked for many years 

developing yeast and bacteria and their 

derivatives for humans and animals. 

We have selected specific yeast strains 

for Profeed ADVANCED® to develop 

a complementary feed with proven 

benefits in balancing the microbiota of 

senior dogs and helping to maintain their 

immunity. This is the first yeast derivatives 

product of this kind in the market.” 

Manufactured at Tereos’ facility in 

Chevrieres, France, the feed comes in the 

form of a neutral-tasting powder that can 

be added to any wet or dry petfood by 

manufacturers. 



www.Tereos.com/en 

About Tereos 

Tereos is a cooperative union with 

11,200 cooperative members, with a 

recognised know-how in the processing 

of beet, sugarcane, cereals and potatoes. 

Through 43 industrial sites, presence in 

15 countries and the commitment of its 

15,800 employees, Tereos supports its 

customers close to their markets with 

a broad and complementary range of 

products. In 2022/23, the Group posted 

revenues of €6.6 billion. 

About Lallemand 

Lallemand Inc. is a privately held global 

company founded in Canada at the end of the 

19th century, specializing in the development, 

production, and marketing of microorganisms. 

The company serves the baking, winemaking, 

distilling, ethanol, brewing, animal nutrition, 

dietary supplements, food, fermentation, 

pharmaceutical and plant care industries. 

Lallemand currently has more than 5,000 

employees located in over 50 countries on five 

continents. 


www.lallemand.com 

*Wambacq et al., 2022. Supplementation of 

a new combination of pre- and postbiotics 

to mitigate immunosenescence biomarkers 

and modify faecal microbiota of old dogs. 

Proceedings of the 26th European Society 

of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition 

(ESVCN) Congress, Basel, Switzerland, 6-8 

September 2022. 

10 


Low Glycaemic 

Properties of 

Isomaltulose 

Confirmed in Dogs 

Best in 

bioavailability! 

an important role to play, especially 

in regards to which carbohydrate is 

used in a dog’s food. Firstly, because 

overweight or obese pets are at risk 

of developing impaired glucose 

tolerance and insulin resistance. 

Secondly, low glycaemic diets have 

been shown to support weight loss 

and improve metabolic health in 

both humans and dogs iv . Therefore, 

finding suitable low glycaemic 

ingredients for dog food is key. 

CeF i 

®pro 

– 

Autolysed yeast! 

A new series of in-vitro and in-vivo studies 

initiated by BENEO and conducted by 

Corbee et al i , have evaluated the digestion 

of isomaltulose, as well as its glycaemic 

and insulinaemic effects in dogs, 

compared to other relevant carbohydrate 

sources. The study results demonstrate 

that isomaltulose is a suitable low 

glycaemic ingredient for use in dog food, 

triggering a lower blood glucose rise after 

consumption. This property makes it a 

particularly interesting solution with the 

potential to support metabolic health 

and weight management. 

Numbers of overweight and obese 

dogs have steadily increased over the 

last few decades and exceed 50% in 

Western countries ii . Excessive weight 

is linked to metabolic and skeletal 

associated disorders and impacts the 

quality of life of both dog and owner. 

This is reflected in pet owners’ interest 

in tackling such issues: More than 8 in 

10 pet owners worldwide agree that onpack 

communication about helping to 

control their pet’s weight naturally (87%), 

or having a lower impact on blood sugar 

levels (85%), very much or somewhat 

affects their purchase intention of a pet 

food product iii . Here, nutrient choice has 

In total, three studies were carried out by 

the teams from universities in Utrecht and 

Wageningen. The first, an in-vitro study 

of small intestinal tissue samples from 

three dogs, evaluated the small intestinal 

hydrolysis of isomaltulose compared 

to sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, 

lactose and α-trehalose. The aim was to 

confirm if dogs have the ability to digest 

isomaltulose, as well as compare it with 

other carbohydrate sources. The findings 

showed that it can be digested by canine 

intestinal enzymes, with a lower enzyme 

activity compared to high glycaemic 

carbohydrates, indicating a slower rate of 

hydrolysis. 

The second and third studies compared 

the effects of isomaltulose, sucrose and 

maltodextrin in an in-vivo set-up. One 

of the studies assessed the glycaemic 

effects of the three carbohydrates 

in nine dogs and using a 3x3 Latinsquare 

design v . After an overnight fast, 

the blood glycaemia and insulinaemia 

were measured 0-180 minutes after 

the administration of a single dose 

of either isomaltulose, sucrose or 

maltodextrin. The results showed that 

isomaltulose significantly lowered 

blood glucose and insulin responses in 

the dogs, compared to maltodextrin or 

sucrose. 

| free amino acids & 

nucleotides 

| promotes intestinal 

integrity 

| stimulates metabolism 

| enhances palatability 

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INGREDIENTS 

The goal of the final study was to assess 

the glycaemic properties of isomaltulose 

in dogs, after continuous intake. This was 

based on the assumption that the abilities 

to digest isomaltulose might evolve 

through adaptation, so that its impact on 

blood glucose levels would get closer to 

the other carbohydrates. In this study, 18 

dogs received a 50:50 mix of isomaltulose 

and sucrose (1g per kg bodyweight) daily 

for two weeks. They were then split into 

three equal groups which each received 

a single dose of either isomaltulose, 

sucrose or maltodextrin after an 

overnight fast. Following this, the dogs’ 

blood glucose and insulin responses were 

measured. Even after continuous intake 

over two weeks, the low glycaemic and 

insulinaemic properties of isomaltulose 

were confirmed. 

About BENEO 

BENEO-Animal Nutrition offers a broad 

range of natural ingredients with 

nutritional benefits. The product range 

is comprised of vegetable proteins, 

digestible carbohydrates, prebiotic 

chicory root fibers and specialty rice 

ingredients. BENEO-Animal Nutrition 

extends BENEO´s unique expertise in 

human food to the world of pet food, 

livestock feed and aqua feed. 

Commenting on the findings, Dr Maygane 

Ronsmans, Product Manager Animal 

Nutrition at BENEO says: “This research 

is of great importance as it offers the 

first comprehensive characterisation 

of isomaltulose with respect to its 

digestibility and metabolic effects in 

dogs. The low glycaemic properties of 

isomaltulose already shown in other 

species, including humans, pigs and 

rodents, have now been confirmed in 

dogs. The combined results of this study 

suggest that isomaltulose would be 

a suitable energy source in dog food, 

which contributes to a more stable blood 

glucose response, and may improve the 

dog’s metabolic profile and overall health.” 

Isomaltulose is a disaccharide which 

occurs naturally in honey. It is composed 

of glucose and fructose, characterised by 

a stronger glycosidic bond than that of 

usual sugar. Isomaltulose is a direct source 

of energy that generates a more balanced 

blood glucose response, distinguishing 

it from high glycaemic energy sources, 

such as heat treated cereals and 

conventional sugars (e.g. dextrose). 

BENEO derives isomaltulose from sugar 

beet at its production plant for functional 

carbohydrates in Offstein, Germany. 

References 


Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 1– 

9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13860 

ii 

Read, C. (2019). The growth of pet obesity. 

The Veterinary record 185, 1–3. https://doi. 

org/10.1136/vr.l6498 

German, A.J., Woods, G.R.T., Holden, S.L., 

Brennan, L. & Burke, C. (2018). Dangerous 

trends in pet obesity. Veterinary Record, 182: 

25. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.k2 

iii 

BENEO Consumer Research on Attitudes 

towards Pet Food in US, Brazil, UK, Germany 

& China 2021 

iv 

Mitsuhashi Y, Nagaoka D, Bigley KE, Umeda 

T, Otsuji K, Bauer JE (2012). Metabolic and 

Hormonal Alterations with Diacylglycerol 

and Low Glycemic Index Starch during 

Canine Weight Loss. ISRN Veterinary Science 

2012: 750593. doi: 10.5402/2012/750593. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ 

PMC3671726/ 

v 

A Latin-square design is a method of placing 

treatments so that they appear in a balanced 

fashion within a square block or field. 

Treatments are assigned at random within 

rows and columns, with each treatment once 

per row and once per column. 

BENEO, a division of the Südzucker 

Group, employs more than 1000 

people and has production units in 

Belgium, Chile, Germany, Italy, and the 

Netherlands. 

i 

Corbee, R. J., Mes, J. J., de Jong, G. A. H., van den 

Dool, R. T. M., Neumer, F., Theis, S., & Bosch, G. 

(2023). Brush border enzyme hydrolysis and 

glycaemic effects of isomaltulose compared 

to other saccharides in dogs. Journal of 


www.beneo.com 

12 


WE MAKE PET FOOD 

TASTE GREAT. TM 

AFB partners with pet food companies 

to provide palatant solutions that meet 

performance, attribute, and economic 

objectives. 

Contact your AFB account manager to 

discuss your unique palatant needs. 

AFBInternational.com 

©2022 AFB International

INGREDIENTS 

High-quality, Functional, and 

Sustainable: the Current Trends in 

Natural Dog Nutrition 

Just as human diets are different, so are those of our pets: True to the motto "what's good for me can't be bad for my dog", 

owners (unconsciously) adapt their pet's diet more and more to their own. Preferably fresh and natural ingredients find 

their way into the bowl – with a demand for quality and positive health effects. The nutritional spectrum ranges from 

regional, vegan, and protein-rich food components, to selected organic products and individual oil blends. 

1. High-quality and natural pet 

food components 

The pet food market is becoming 

increasingly "green": more and more pet 

parents are paying attention to natural, 

sustainable nutrition and care about 

the health and well-being of their furry 

friends. This also reflects the owners’ 

increased awareness of environmental 

protection and animal welfare. 

They increasingly value high-quality 

ingredients for pet food made from 

natural raw materials and unprocessed 

ingredients. "Clean Feeding" serves 

this trend: the concept envisions dog 

foods that are as natural as possible and 

usually consist of half animal protein, 

30 to 40 percent plant-based products, 

10 to 20 percent carbohydrates, and 

a small number of high-quality oils. 

Additives such as artificial colors, flavors, 

and preservatives as well as genetically 

modified ingredients (GMOs) are largely 

avoided. 

Pet owners are paying more attention to 

the origin of food and are turning to organic 

products, meat from species-appropriate 

farming, and fish from sustainable wild 

catches. Many manufacturers are already 

responding to the demand for organic pet 

food: with organic-certified ingredients 

and products, they assure their customers 

of an organic standard that excludes the 

use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or 

antibiotics. The menu also more often 

includes local fruits and vegetables 

from certified organic cultivation. Local 

products usually have shorter transport 

routes and can be consumed or processed 

more quickly. This has a positive impact on 

product quality and freshness, but also on 

the environment thanks to the reduced 

carbon footprint. Buying these products 

also supports local farmers and promotes 

the local economy. 

In addition to the origin of raw materials, 

pet owners are also interested in their 

sustainable processing: They demand 

transparency and prefer environmentally 

friendly manufacturing processes that 

gently preserve the valuable nutrients of 

the raw goods. Transparent label design 

helps them understand the composition 

of products better. In this way, pet 

owners ensure that the food chosen 

meets their dog's nutritional needs and 

can also identify and avoid undesirable 

ingredients in case of allergies and 

intolerances. 

2. Healthy and functional 

ingredients 

The demands on animal nutrition have 

become more complex in recent years 

– besides qualitative and sustainable 

criteria, it should be functional and 

healthy. According to a Mintel study, 

there is a clear trend in this direction: 63 

percent of German pet owners would 

like to know more about their pet's brain 

health and 57 percent are interested in 

food components that promote their 

pet's intestinal health. Functional food 

contains selected ingredients that, on the 

one hand, meet the pet's basic nutritional 

needs and, on the other, support its 

general well-being. 

Recently, there has been increasing 

demand for grain-free pet food to avoid 

potential allergies and intolerances and to 

improve intestinal health. Generally, grains 

are a good plant source of carbohydrates 

and fiber that most dogs can digest well. 

However, some have sensitive reactions to 

certain grains such as wheat or soy. 

This approach goes hand in hand with 

the trend to feed purely plant-based 

components. Following the example of 

vegetarian and vegan diets among us 

14 


INGREDIENTS 

humans, owners sometimes want to feed 

their dogs a vegan diet as well – but they 

do not want to sacrifice nutritional value, 

such as protein and amino acid content. 

While meat has long been considered the 

main source of protein in animal nutrition, 

nowadays more and more plant-based 

protein sources are being integrated into 

the diet. 

Plant-based food components 

Vegetable oils, such as linseed, hemp, or 

olive oil, can provide valuable nutrients 

in dog nutrition: As a partner for natural 

raw materials, Henry Lamotte Oils offers 

a broad portfolio of essential ingredients 

for animal nutrition. 

In the company's own Oil Mill Lipos, the 

gentle pressing of oilseeds produces highquality 

oils and protein-containing press 

cakes that are ideal as food ingredients 

for dog nutrition. Fine grinding turns 

them into LipoMill Flours, which, with a 

residual oil content of five to ten percent, 

are rich in protein and dietary fiber. They 

enrich pet food with valuable omega fatty 

acids, amino acids, minerals, and trace 

elements. 

Vegetable extrudates that resemble 

meat in appearance are also becoming 

more popular. They are produced, for 

example, from organic sunflower seeds 

using an extrusion process. The press 

cake contains all nine essential amino 

acids that neither the human nor the 

animal body can produce on its own. 

With a high protein content of over 50 

percent, the extrudate is an ideal vegan 

alternative to the conventional protein 

supplier meat. 

Algae products are also being used 

more frequently in animal nutrition as 

a plant-based alternative to fish oils. 

Microalgae such as chlorella or spirulina 

contain the valuable omega-3 fatty 

acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These can 

contribute to maintaining the health of 

the brain, joints, skin, and fur. In animal 

nutrition, algae can be added in the form 

of oils or flours. 

Jan-Christoph Morisse – Head of Sales Animal 

Nutrition & Care / Chemical Technical Industry at 

Henry Lamotte Oils. Henry Lamotte Oils is a leading 

quality supplier of natural oils and related products 

such as vegetable butters, waxes, protein flours and 

oleoresins. The company's Oil Mill Lipos primarily 

processes organic seeds into oils and press cakes. 

Find your solution 

Barentz Animal Nutrition is a global distributor of 

technical and nutritional ingredients for the pet food 

industry. We have several solutions for clean label, 

hypoallergenic, digestive support, sustainable, vegetarian 

and organic concepts. Always a better solution. 

Plant-based 

proteins 

Antioxidants Colours Hydrocolloids Insect Protein Yeasts Seaweed 

barentz.com Always a better solution. 

Barentz 

Saturnusstraat 15 

2132 HB Hoofddorp, The Netherlands 


T + 31 (0) 23 5673456 

E petfoodinfo@barentz.com 

I www.barentz.com/animal-nutrition 

15

INGREDIENTS 

Examples of flour packages 

BARF feeding 

In contrast to the feeding of plantbased 

food components, there are 

many supporters of a meat-based diet 

with animal proteins. They associate 

biologically appropriate raw food (BARF) 

with a near-natural diet, which they 

believe meets the natural needs of the 

dog best. In this form of nutrition, pets are 

fed meat, bones, and innards. Fruits and 

vegetables are added in small quantities 

as components. Fish oils, for example, can 

be used as a supplement in the BARF diet 

because of their high content of omega-3 

fatty acids. The EPA and DHA they contain 

Algae Pouder 

have a positive effect 

on the cardiovascular 

system and are involved 

in many metabolic 

processes. 

In a study, researchers 

from the University of 

Winchester in the United 

Kingdom and Australia’s 

Griffith University 

examined three different 

diets for dogs and the 

effect on their health. A 

total of 2536 dogs took 

part in the study: 54 

percent of them were 

fed a mixed diet with 

components of meat, 

grains and vegetables, 

33 percent were fed 

exclusively raw meat 

(BARF) and 13 percent 

were fed a purely plantbased 

diet. Considering 

various indicators, 

specific impairments were examined, 

such as gastrointestinal diseases, diseases 

of the musculoskeletal system, and of the 

skin and ears. According to the study, on 

average, the experimental group of dogs 

fed a vegan diet was less susceptible to 

disease. In contrast, just under half of 

the group fed the conventional mixed 

diet suffered from health problems. The 

dogs fed raw meat did slightly better in 

the study. In direct comparison, however, 

they were significantly younger than 

the vegan-fed group. It is not possible 

to clearly determine which diet is the 

healthiest: A raw meat diet tends to 

carry an increased risk of pathogens and 

malnutrition, whereas the vegan diet was 

the least risky choice, according to the 

study. 

3. Customized 

product solutions 

Personalized products 

tailored to the individual 

needs and preferences 

of one's own pet are 

a clear trend resulting 

from increasing pet 

humanization. Pet 

owners consider their 

pets as family members 

and companions for life, 

whose well-being they 

want to ensure in all 

respects. For this reason, 

owners are intensively concerned with a 

healthy diet and sustainable care for their 

furry friends. Premiumization goes hand in 

hand with this development: pet owners 

are happy to spend more money on their 

dogs if they expect the products to be 

of high quality or if they consider them 

to be beneficial to their health. Beyond 

nutrition and care, premiumization is also 

evident in pet accessories and innovative 

services. Personalized products create 

individuality, strengthen the bond, and 

express increased attention. 

Individual and environmentally 

friendly – Private Label 

packaging 

On the manufacturers' side, this trend 

is also having an impact on product 

development. The desire for individual 

pet food and oil mixtures is growing to 

adapt the diet even better to the dog's 

personal needs. In the field of Private 

Label bottling, Henry Lamotte Oils uses 

its years of expertise to realize individual 

product ideas and manufacture 

according to desired specifications. 

Customized products need well-chosen 

packaging: In addition to their functional 

and aesthetic criteria, these also meet 

requirements for product protection 

and are increasingly made of more 

environmentally friendly materials 

that are recyclable or biodegradable. 

Environmentally friendly packaging 

solutions help reduce the carbon 

footprint and harmful emissions. 

With several options available, 

environmentally conscious pet owners 

often go for the sustainable option. 

Regarding oils and flours, different 

variants are available for feed packaging. 

Glass bottles for oils, for example, offer the 

advantage that they are easily recyclable 

and do not interact with other substances. 

However, melting them down after their 

single use requires high temperatures. 

Metal cans are unbreakable, light-proof, 

and customizable. They have a similar 

recycled content to glass bottles, but are 

less material-intensive, making them a 

possible alternative to glass. 

Stand-up pouches made of (kraft) paper 

are ideal for feed components such as 

flours or extrudates. In contrast to plastic 

tins, they are only half as heavy when 

empty and reduce costs and emissions 

thanks to their minimal transport volume. 


16 


INGREDIENTS 

Natural bioactive ingredient 

to soothe pets 

Sunflower extracts 

(1) Mintel (2021), Vegan dog food and 

functional pet food for the well-being of 

the animal on the rise, URL: https://www. 

mintel.com/de/press-centre/veganeshundefutter-und-funktionelles-tierfutterfur-das-wohlbefinden-des-haustieres-imkommen/ 

(04.08.2023) 

(2) PLOS ONE (2022), Vegan versus meatbased 

dog food, URL: https://journals.plos. 

org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal. 

pone.0265662 (04.08.2023) 

Examples of oil packs 


www.lamotte-oils.de/en 


17

INGREDIENTS 

Protection of Pet Food with 

Natural and Cost-effective 

Antioxidants Solutions 

Innovative systems to protect new sources of animal proteins 

extract is showing excellent performances 

in various types of animal proteins and 

fats. Mixed tocopherols, vitamin E itself 

and Rosemary Extract (botanical extract) 

are commonly used in the industry. Our 

large Toco-PET range can be used to 

protect the many types of meals and fat 

used by the industry. 

Change is around the corner 

A concern for naturalness in human foods 

has extended to a greater awareness 

about additives in pet food. This has 

been accompanied by a slow but steady 

increase in the re-evaluation of the safety 

of synthetic antioxidants in pet food. 

This re-evaluation has extended to the 

antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole 

(BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene 

(BHT). Most current concerns are 

expressed over BHA and, in particular, its 

re-authorization for use in cat food. 

Alternatives 

The transition from synthetics (BHA and 

BHT) to natural additives might reveal 

that naturalness comes with a challenge 

– in terms of both cost and the stability 

of the pet food. Therefore, more attention 

should be paid to the synergy between 

naturals and ‘more acceptable’ synthetics 

used in food systems with proven longstanding 

safety, such as infant nutrition. 

Ascorbates, gallates and chelates work 

well with natural antioxidants and are costeffective. 

The drivers of these compounds 

work together and are suitable for use 

in the pet food process. Pet-Safe (which 

does not contain BHA/BHT) offers a 

great alternative to standard synthetic 

antioxidants with a very competitive cost 

in use. This provides a very interesting 

opportunity for those looking for a 

transition between the synthetic and fully 

natural solutions. 

Synergies of natural options 

During the last 20 years, Vitablend 

technical team has worked and developed 

synergistic solutions using natural and 

traditional active compounds to provide 

meals, fats, oils, petfood producers with 

the solution offering the best cost in use. 

This approach helps us developing natural 

system offering similar performances of 

traditional synthetic antioxidants. The 

combination of tocopherols and rosemary 

What’s next…. new sources of 

proteins 

To sustain the increasing demand, the 

industry is now looking at new sources 

of animal proteins. Vitablend has done 

extensive research to find the best 

alternatives to protect insect meals and 

fat. This type of matrix can contain up to 

45% fat which contains polyunsaturated 

fatty acids very sensitive to oxidation. 

In our recent studies we have tested 

various antioxidants systems. Antioxidant 

capacity was measured by the induction 

point (hrs) to oxidation under accelerated 

conditions. The study showed that our 

Toco-PET TR 10 L (Tocopherols and 

Rosemary Extract) provides a similar level 

of protection as a traditional BHA/BHT 

synthetic system, enhancing the shelf life 

up to 50%. Our Toco-PET TR 10 L is one 

example of a very versatile system which 

can be used to protect multiple type of 

meals and oils. 


Vitablend is a manufacturer of 

antioxidants and nutritional systems. It 

is part of the Barentz Group, and has its 

HQ in The Netherlands, factories in The 

Netherlands, USA and Singapore. 


www.barentz.com 

petfoodinfo@barentz.com 

18 


Insects in Pet Food: Do Insect 

Larvae Outcompete Classic 

Protein Sources? 

INGREDIENTS 

The demand for insect based pet food is growing in global 

markets. Forecasts predict significant growth rates for pet food 

with ingredients derived from insects in the coming years. Pet 

owners desire the best possible nutrition for their four-legged 

companions. However, pet foods with a high meat content 

regularly have an unfavorable environmental footprint. Customers 

are becoming increasingly aware of this trait. Insect based feeds 

may help to significantly improve the ecological footprint of pet 

food. Wholesome insect granules contain valuable nutrients and 

thus equally offer benefits for animal health and the environment. 

Insect based pet food market suggests enormous 

potential 

With rising protein demand for food and feed, increasing 

uncertainty in global commodity markets, and not least as a result 

of dramatic climatic changes, demands for alternative, regionally 

produced nutrients are growing. 

Insect based feeds are projected to grow at an average annual rate 

of 9.3 percent in the market through 2030 (Future Market Insights, 

2021). These forecasts are also in line with consumer attitudes: 

In recent studies, up to 50 percent of the pet owners surveyed 

already stated that they could very well imagine insect based 

feeds as an alternative for their dogs and cats. 

HIGHLY EFFICIENT FEED CONVERSION 

INSECTS POULTRY PORK 

Land use (m 2 /kg) 

Water use (l/kg) 

Feed conversion 

(DM feed/kg fresh mass) 

Fig. 1: Insects are the most efficient users of precious raw materials 

In this light, many pet owners are increasingly keen to ensure 

that what they fill their four-legged friends' bowls with originates 

from sustainable sources. As an alternative to pork, poultry or fish, 

insects in pet food offer numerous advantages: 

The range of insect based pet food already is correspondingly 

large: Products range from snacks and chews to classic dry and 

wet food varieties as well as special hypoallergenic feeds that can 

be purchased exclusively from veterinary practices. 



In particular, products based on Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) are 

becoming increasingly popular. Compared to mealworms, they 

can not only be produced more cost-effectively and sustainably. 

Their nutritional spectrum, with higher levels of calcium and 

phosphorus, for example, also proves advantageous. 



Contributing to sustainability in pet food 

The production of food for around 25 million dogs and cats in 

German households alone not only leaves an unfavorable footprint 

on the eco-balance of domestic agriculture. It also contributes to 

global environmental impacts: Much of the soy used to provide 

protein for meat-supplying livestock originates from regions 

where valuable natural areas are cleared for its cultivation. Social 

tensions in the countries of origin and climatic changes worldwide 

clearly show that there are limits to this approach. 

Insects can save natural raw materials, especially large 

amounts of water. 

Insects can recycle residual materials from agriculture 

and the food industry into high-quality ingredients. 

Regionally reared insects can reduce transport distances 

and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Thanks to vertical farming, significantly less space is 

required for insect fattening than in conventional animal 

husbandry. 

Insect larvae - a high-quality and healthy source 

of nutrients. 

To dogs and cats the following applies as well: selected ingredients 

in food support important metabolic functions and promote 

vitality. 


21

INGREDIENTS 

NUTRIENT SOURCE + PURINES 

g/100g 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0Soy Extract Fish meal Meat PAP BSFL PAP 

Protein Fat Ash Fiber Purines (x100) 

Fig. 2: BSFL’s ratio of key ingredients is most finely balanced 

The exoskeletons of insects, the so-called exuviae, largely consist 

of the polysaccharide chitin, a crude fiber component suitable for 

animal feed. It has also been shown that chitin and its derivative 

chitosan may stimulate the immune system and thus strengthen 

the animals' internal defenses against external influences. 

Wholesome insect granules as a source for pet 

food. 

The processing procedure for full-fat insect granules is 

coordinated in such a way that all valuable ingredients of the 

larvae are retained. Compared to partially defatted meals, full-fat 

granules utilize the entire potential of the BSFL. This high-quality 

raw material thus contains all the natural energy of the insect fat, 

and the antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of the bioactive 

ingredients can also be used completely. 

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) naturally contain high-quality 

and easily digestible nutrients: protein and fat, minerals such 

as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium and zinc, as 

well as various (B-) vitamins are present in a balanced ratio. Insect 

protein contains all the essential amino acids, and insect fat is 

highly energetic and has a valuable fatty acid content - about 50 

percent lauric acid alone. 

For most pets, protein from insects is also an as yet unknown 

protein source and is therefore considered a promising protein 

alternative in case of feed allergies and intolerances. 

Color 

Odor 

Post-darkening in process 

Health 

Powder 

Granules 

Post-clumping 

Regional 

Friendly 

Sustainable 

Humidity 

Beige 

Sweet biscuits-coconut-chocolate 

No 

Laurine+amino acid+fibers 

Flowable 

Ingredo ProBug Granulate 

No 

Yes 

Support farmers 

No by-products 

1-14% 

Fig. 4: Wholesome insect granules have very valuable properties 

AMINO ACID DISTRIBUTION 

g/100g 

7 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Technical aspects also speak in favor of the use of wholesome 

insect meal in animal feed: for example, it is much easier to utilize 

during processing. The material has a much lower tendency to 

batch and its flowability is remarkable. Feed components based 

on full-fat meal prove to be color- and odor-solid and enable a 

stable and homogeneous end product. 

0 

Arginine 

Cysteine 

Glycine 

Histidine 

Isoleucine 

Leucine 

Lysine 

Methionine 

Phenylalanine 

Serine 

Threonine 

Tryptophan 

Valine 


Soy Extract Fish meal Meat PAP BSFL PAP 

Fig. 3: BSFL protein is characterized by an optimal amino acid profile 

Bioactive ingredients stimulate internal defenses 

Insect larvae are exposed to numerous germs in their natural 

habitat and they need effective mechanisms to defend 

themselves against them. With the help of antimicrobial peptides 

(AMP) and a high content of lauric acid, BSFL keep bacteria, 

viruses and fungi at bay. 

The AMP contained in BSFL, as well as the high concentration of 

medium-chain lauric acid (MCFA) in the fat, also offer benefits 

to dogs and cats: Ingested in the feed, they can support animal 

health with their antimicrobial as well as antioxidant effects. 

• Siddiqui S. Brunner T. et al.: “Insect-based dog and cat food: A short investigative review on market, claims 

and consumer perception.” Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 2023; Vol.26, Issue 1. 

• Veldkamp T., Dong L. et al.: "Bioactive properties of insect products for monogastric animals – a review". 

Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 2022; 8(9): 1027-1040. SPECIAL ISSUE: Insects on the monogastric 

menu. 

• Valdés F., Villanueva V. et al.: “Insects as Feed for Companion and Exotic Pets: A Current Trend.” Animals, 

2022; 12. 

• Freel T., McComb A. et al.: “Digestibility and safety of dry black soldier fly larvae meal and black soldier fly 

larvae oil in dogs.” Journal of Animal Science, 2021; Vol.99, No.3: 1-8. 

Join the Pet food Symposium in October! 


https://tiny.one/farminsect 

22 


INGREDIENTS 

Nutrition Brand Evolution 

Symrise Pet Food has announced to transform its nutrition ingredients brand into 

Nuvin. This includes plans to expand growth and advance sustainability for the 

complete offering of egg, chicken, hydrolyzed proteins, and health solutions. With 

this step, the company intends to strategically strengthen its pet food offering for 

its customers. 

With this brand evolution, Symrise Pet 

Food moves to achieve key aspects of its 

longer-term strategy. At the same time, it 

continues to supply its customers with the 

fundamental ingredients and collaborative 

services essential to premium formulations. 

Further pursuits in natural 

nourishment 

The new brand inherits a thriving portfolio 

in natural pet nutrition: value-added egg 

in the form of Ovalin nutritional products 

and OvaBind binding and emulsification 

ingredients for functional applications. 

Pepti'One hydrolysates come from a range 

of select, single-source animal proteins. 

Premium-quality chicken protein, broth, 

and fat for dry and wet formulations also 

add to the portfolio as well as health 

solutions. 

"Clearly, the initial brand served us well 

in establishing a footing in the global 

marketplace. It also helped us setting 

the tone for our authoritative position 

in quality, safety, and sustainability," 

explains John Tiedeman, General Manager, 

Nutrition Business Line at Symrise Pet Food. 

"Now, Nuvin picks up where Nutrios 

leaves off. This reflects our determination 

to elevate the existing brand equity with 

greater innovation as we move into an 

intensified strategic phase of growth and 

vitality." 

and functional solutions to visibly improve 

pet health and wellness. 

Existing Symrise facilities, systems, and 

personnel will continue to provide these 

products and services as the Nuvin brand 

transformation proceeds. 



www.symrise.com 

These industry-leading product lines will 

retain their existing individual branding. 

Nuvin advances its ingredients and 

associated capabilities in service to 

customers, consumers, and their pets. 

Building on collaborative 

expertise 

Nuvin fields a distinguished team of 

researchers, developers, and marketing 

specialists with proven experience in 

intensive product development, based on 

all-natural, foundational ingredients. For 

customers that want to premiumize their 

offerings, these experts create nutritious 

Improving Quality of Life 

for our most trusted companions 

• Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP ® ) proven 

to stimulate joint cartilage metabolism in pets 

• A pure non-allergenic collagen protein 

for clean label products 


GELITA AG · Uferstr. 7 · 69412 Eberbach · Germany · www.gelita.com 

23

PROCESSING 

Efficient Process Technology for 

Dogs and Cats 

The demand for veterinary products is increasing worldwide – and with it the need for particularly efficient, hygienic 

manufacturing processes. As the example of chewable tablets for dogs and cats shows, Ploughshare® Mixers can meet the 

specific requirements particularly well in several respects. 

Pet owners worldwide spend over 135 

billion euros on their pets. In the USA 

alone, the figure is almost 60 billion, in 

Western Europe around 30 billion – per 

year and rising. Veterinary medicines 

account for a significant proportion of 

this expenditure. 

Specialized manufacturers are 

responding to this growing demand 

by expanding their capacities, not only 

with additional equipment, but above 

all with increasingly efficient production 

processes. How this could look in practice 

is shown by a particularly widespread 

form of administration: Chewable tablets 

for dogs and cats. 

Raw materials and process 

From a technical process point of view, 

such chewable tablets mainly consist 

of dry raw materials: In the basic recipe, 

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) 

or other additives, such as vitamins or 

flavors, are added to a basic product (e.g. 

corn starch or protein powder). The first 

intermediate product is thus a powdery 

dry mixture. 

After this premixing, liquid components, 

e.g. liquid polymer (PEG or macrogol) or 

oils (e.g. soya oil, fish oil) are added and 

incorporated in a second step. At room 

temperature, however, these liquids can 

harden or crystallise in contact with the 

mixer or the mixed material before they 

are completely distributed. Therefore, 

both the mixer and the dry mix must 

be tempered beforehand. Usually it 

is heated to around +50 – 60 °C to 

optimise distribution of the added liquid 

components in the dry mixture. 

After another mixing process, a highly 

pasty, marzipan-like dough is formed. 

After emptying the mixer, the mixture is 

transferred to a moulding machine as a 

lump or dough strand. Finally, the formed 

tablets are baked through and packaged. 

Ploughshare® 

Mixer FKM as 

a particularly 

efficient 

solution 

Both mixing steps 

take place one after 

the other in the 

same machine and 

in batch operation. 

Ploughshare® 

Mixers FKM from 

Lödige Process 

Technology with 

600 to 3000 l 

nominal volume have already proven 

themselves many times over. They operate 

based on the mechanically generated 

fluid bed that ensures a very good mixing 

performance and was introduced to 

industrial mixing technology by Lödige: 

the specially developed shovels rotate 

close to the wall inside a horizontal 

drum, creating the fluid bed. The process 

enables a high degree of homogeneity 

and constant reproducibility. 

Treatment inside a Ploughshare® Mixer 

brings multiple advantages over other 

mixing methods: Intensive forced mixing 

combined with short process times 

ensures the highest mixing qualities and 

particularly efficient operation. Holding 

times, duration of treatment and other 

process variables can be modified 

depending on the characteristics being 

sought. 

As a further advantage, the FKM enables 

precise temperature control of the raw 

materials by means of an insulated 

temperature control cover on the drum. 

The horizontal arrangement offers 

significantly more contact surface than a 

vertical system, ensuring fast and efficient 

heat transfer. The cover of the insulation 

to the outside made of welded stainless 

steel guarantees the machine design 

according to Hygienic Design. 

In addition, the FKM allows liquid 

components to be added via mixer lances 

in the effective range of special choppers 

which rotate at up to 3000 rpm and 

ensure ideal distribution of even higherviscosity 

liquids in the mix. The sturdy 

design of the mixer ensures long service 

lives of 25 years and more and minimises 

maintenance. 

Hygienic design 

Ploughshare® Mixers come in various 

different sizes and are also available 

in an explosion protected version for 

specific applications. The customerspecific 

design of machines and 

machine lines is just as much a matter of 

course as strict adherence to all current 

GMP directives and FDA regulations, 

which also apply to the production of 

veterinary pharmaceuticals. In close 

cooperation with the representatives of 

major manufacturers of pharmaceutical 

products, Lödige has realized far 

more than 1000 systems according to 

requirements in the last few decades. 

Automatic WIP systems for reliable and 

reproducible cleaning of the mixer are 

an essential element of hygienic design. 

The cleaning process itself comprises the 

residue-free removal of any remaining 

product and material build-up in the 

entire inside of the machine. For this 

24 


PROCESSING 

purpose, the seals on the mixing unit 

and choppers are switched from their 

usual gas flush to a water flush to prevent 

ingress of cleaning water into the seals. 

The horizontal mixer itself is cleaned 

successively from top to bottom. For this 

purpose, all inlets on top of the machine 

are equipped with cleaning nozzles, which 

are either fixed in place on the inside of 

the inlet or can be positioned on the inlet 

by means of a washing adapter. It is also 

possible to install automated retractable 

cleaning nozzles. Filters are generally 

completely moistened while installed and 

then removed for further cleaning (e.g. in 

a dishwasher or an ultrasonic bath). 

The washing water used for cleaning the 

inlets is collected in the mixing drum and 

later used for cleaning the mixing vessel, 

which requires a filling level of 20 - 30% 

with cleaning fluid. Cleaning of the mixing 

drum itself is carried out by means of the 

mixing elements, which effectively ensure 

intensive and turbulent contact between 

the mixing drum and the cleaning liquid 

in forward and reverse operation. If 

necessary, any product residue remaining 

in the mixer can be soaked during this 

process. Mixing systems with higher 

volumes use rotating targeted jet cleaners 

to clean the drum in order to maintain 

sustainable levels of water volume used 

per cleaning cycle. For this process it 

is possible to use both fresh water and 

closed loop circulation mode. 

Automatic cleaning of the mixer discharge 

is a demanding task. The reason for this 

is the more complex geometry of the 

discharge door, drive shaft and sealing 

surfaces. A combination of static cleaning 

nozzles and a centrally located rotating 

spray ball as well as opening and closing 

the door in interval mode have proven 

successful for intense cleaning of all 

surfaces. Any waste water created by the 

cleaning process is discharged through 

a drainage cone installed at the mixer 

discharge. 

Complete solution from a single 

source 

However, Lödige does not only supply 

the mixer(s). As a solution provider, the 

company also implements entire machine 

lines. In the case of a production machine 

line for veterinary chewable tablets, 

such a complete solution also includes, 

in particular, the complete dosing, 

temperature control, regulation and 

control technology for the raw materials 

according to CFR 21 part11 as well as 

the piping (also temperature controlled), 

the melting container, the installations 

for weighing and adding the individual 

ingredients. Lödige accompanies the 

customer during the implementation of 

the entire machine line from planning to 

commissioning, in particular also during 

the qualification process and subsequent 

documentation. 


Source for the above market figures: 

• https://www.zzf.de/marktdaten/derinternationale-heimtiermarkt 

• https://www.verbaende. 

com/news/pressemitteilung/ 

interzoo-2022-versammelt-dieinternationale-heimtierbranche-innuernberg-148260/ 


www.loedige.de 


25

PROCESSING 

Technology for Pet Food Snacks 

and Treats 

Pet food production with FS 510 

Handtmann offers a variety of modular 

and flexible production solutions for pet 

food manufacturing. Mixing, filling and 

portioning, cutting/dividing, forming, 

dosing or co-extruding a wide variety 

of products are their core functions. 

The production of formed products and 

treats as cubes, bars, pellets, balls, hearts 

and more is highly efficient possible. 

The outstanding feature of all systems 

is the exceptional portioning accuracy 

owing to the vane cell feed system in 

the basic machine, the vacuum filler. This 

weight accuracy significantly reduces 

costs, especially when processing highquality 

products. Also, the unique and 

very gentle mixing technology of the 

Handtmann Inotec can be optimally used 

for numerous applications in pet food 

production. 

One of the production solutions of 

Handtmann is the range of forming 

systems. It is characterised above all 

by its flexible use in many different 

areas of application, from soft product 

consistencies to firm products. In addition, 

a large variety of shapes is possible with 

countless options, such as round, square, 

oblong, 3D shapes in dog bone form and 

more. Here the filling product is fed to the 

flow divider by a VF 800 vacuum filler. The 

servo-driven flow divider ensures precise 

rotor speed in the flow divider. The result 

is a continuous product flow without 

pressure fluctuations, and thus accurate 

final weights. The flow divider ejects the 

filling product in multi-lane filling flows 

via mould components. The desired 

product shape is created using forming 

tubes positioned at the outlet. The shape 

can be changed easily and quickly by 

exchanging the forming tubes. Product 

separating is performed directly at the 

outlet, either with a wire or with a blade; it 

is uninterrupted and linear to the product 

speed. Production can be onto racks and 

trays as well as onto a conveyor belt. The 

vacuum filler’s control system allows easy 

visualisation of the product shape and 

calculation of the process parameters. 



www.handtmann.com/food 

Handtmann FS 510 forming system with VF 800 vacuum filler 

Many different variations of formed pet food 

Photos: Handtmann 

26 


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27

PROCESSING 

Energy-saving and Reliable Drying 

of Cat Food 

An Austrian pet food manufacturer replaced their gas operated dryer with a heat pump based system. This helped to 

reduce their cost of operation considerably. The company is more than satisfied with the reproducible and energy-saving 

drying process and the excellent drying quality they can now enjoy. 

Rupp Food Austria GmbH is a fourthgeneration 

family enterprise selling dog 

and pet food around the world today. 

The business started by acquiring a mill 

to produce flake cereals at the beginning 

of the last century. Oats have been an 

important part of the Austrian company’s 

portfolio to the present day. In 1975, they 

started manufacturing pet food which has 

been their primary product ever since. 

Managed by Hubert and Christoph Rupp 

the company produces quality dog and 

cat food with a workforce of about 160 

with a focus on meeting highest quality 

standards throughout their business. 

They used a gas operated belt dryer for 

producing cat food. The dryer had got 

long in the tooth and they intended 

to put it out of service. It goes without 

saying that, today, the focus is as much on 

energy consumption as on good drying 

quality. So, Rupp studied alternative 

drying methods. They got in touch with 

Figure 1: Extruded mass of cat food before and after the drying tests. The tests were 

conducted to determine all parameters required to ensure successful drying. 

Wet cat food before drying 

Harter at the Powtech fair in Nuremberg 

in 2017. Harter is a drying system 

manufacturer specialized in heat pump 

based dryers for industry with a record 

of more than 30 years. "We viewed this 

as a great opportunity to reduce our 

extremely high gas consumption and 

the resulting cost of operation while 

optimising our process," reports Klaus 

Schiller, COO of Rupp in retrospect. 

The million dollar question was if this 

technology could meet the high quality 

requirements. Harter provides an answer 

to this question through series of tests 

run at their in-house pilot plant station. 

The German drying system manufacturer 

has always offered their prospective 

customers this option as a reasonable 

approach to define the exact drying 

parameters. Of course, products are 

more or less easy to be dried. This is 

when Harter’s typical innovation spirit 

comes in to find a suitable solution. The 

solution was found, to put it in a nutshell. 

Dried cat food 

Testing and Solution 

In initial tests, Harter determined the 

drying time, the feasibility of 70 °C as the 

drying temperature, and the potential 

bulk density. Tests of the 90 °C heat-up 

step revealed that the relevant portion 

of the conveyor belt would require 

a separate air recirculation system. 

Subsequently, Harter designed the 

drying system based on the parameters 

determined by these tests and, of 

course, Rupp’s specifications – 2 tons 

per hour maximum throughput. Another 

issue revealed by these tests was the 

formation of dust resulting from abrasion 

of the food. Harter first determined the 

quantity of material abraded per hour to 

be able to design the required filtering 

and discharge system. 

To meet Rupp’s requirements and the 

parameters obtained by testing a belt 

length of 19 m was required. As space 

was restricted, Harter’s dryer had to be 

designed to include five separate belts 

arranged one above the other. The dryer 

is about 5 m high and the individual belts 

are 5 m long each. The extruded food 

mass is fed into the dryer automatically. 

Conveyor belts connect the extruder, 

which is placed elsewhere, with the dryer. 

While being dried, the pressed mass has 

more and more humidity removed until 

the specified residual humidity of six 

percent on average is obtained. On its 

way from the topmost to the lowest belt, 

the mass becomes gradually drier and 

breaks up into the shape desired. Exiting 

the dryer, the cat snacks are conveyed, 

on a traverse belt, to the next processing 

station. They are finally flavored and 

packaged. Harter integrated a filter at the 

dryer exit as an anti-dusting provision. 

The German drying system specialist 

also installed additional filters inside the 

dryer, plus a worm and belt conveyer to 

discharge the material abraded. 

28 


PROCESSING 

Air Routing and 

Dehumidification 

Extremely dry process air is used for drying. 

The airflow rate is controlled to meet the 

requirements of the specific product. 

For one thing, the product is supposed 

to be dried as efficiently as possible. For 

another thing, the snacks must remain on 

the belts rather than fly through the dryer. 

Yet, it is not only the quantity and speed of 

the air that matters. "Air routing is always 

a major factor contributing to successful 

drying because the air, by its very nature, 

invariably follows the path of least 

resistance," explains Michael Richter of 

Harter Technical Sales. It is one of Harter’s 

secrets of success to know how to direct 

the air to follow the correct path and to 

know the engineering tricks to achieve 

this. This is why there are no details 

disclosed here. "What counts at the end 

of the day is that the product is perfectly 

and uniformly dehumidified - and this is 

the goal we achieve," summarized Richter. 

Yet, where does the process air come from 

and what happens to it? 

Figure 2: The cat snacks are dried on five belts in vertical array to obtain the exact degree of 

dryness and to ensure uniform dryness. The drying process is reproducible and extremely 

economical owing to the heat pump technology employed. 

The big success of this low temperature 

process is its physically alternative 

approach. Drying is accomplished using 

extremely dry and thus unsaturated air 

passed over or through the items to be 

dried. It absorbs humidity excellently. 

Subsequently, the air is cooled – the 

humidity condenses to form water – 

reheated and returned to the drying 

chamber. The temperature may be varied 

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29

PROCESSING 

between 20 °C and 75 °C as required 

for the specific product or process. If 

sterilization is desired – Rupp did – Harter 

will provide for an optional 90 °C to 110 °C 

high temperature process step. The same 

applies to an optional cooling process 

step if required for the specific process. 

The drying period depends on the degree 

of the residual humidity desired or 

required. For packaged food, where the 

wet package needs to be dried, the drying 

time is often restricted to a few minutes 

to meet the specified process cycle time. 

For direct food drying, the drying time is 

often longer and as needed to obtain the 

residual humidity of the product. 

This process air is conditioned in a 

dehumidification module, which is also 

responsible for the condensation process. 

This so-called AIRGENEX®food module 

may be installed in various locations as 

required for the situation on site. With 

Rupp, the module is located in the same 

room, placed on a platform above the 

dryer. It is connected to the belt dryer 

through insulated ducting. 

Exhaust-Air-Free 

Harter’s system uses a completely closed 

air circuit. Exhaust air free and thus 

emission free drying means that Rupp 

is now independent of the climate and 

the seasons. Production areas are not 

affected by any humidity or exhaust air 

emitted by the dryer. Humans, materials, 

and machinery are all spared from 

such adverse effects. The process is 

reproducible and thus provides maximum 

reliability. Exhaust air free drying has 

demonstrated, in many projects, to be 

beneficial in terms of appearance, flavors, 

vitamins and other ingredients. These 

benefits vary, of course, with the type of 

product and the dryness desired. "This 

project was a big profit for us because 

using this technology we save very much 

money and obtain a high quality product 

result on top", summarizes Schiller 

contentedly. 



www.harter-gmbh.com 

30 


PROCESSING 

New Concept Revolutionizes 

Animal Feed Production 

At the heart of the production line are two automatic industrial grinders 

from K+G Wetter 

Pet food for cats and dogs is a massive 

growth market. Not only are the 

quantities of wet food, dry food and 

snacks produced increasing year on 

year – customer demand for quality and 

specialization is also growing. 

Over the past 25 years, German pet food 

manufacturer VetConcept has been 

producing pet food that is precisely 

tailored to the needs of our four-legged 

friends with health issues or special 

nutritional requirements. In 2019, the 

company built a new wet food plant 

in the town of Föhren near Trier. There, 

VetConcept’s production line relies 

on two K+G Wetter AW 280 automatic 

industrial grinders, among others. 

Good experience from the 

butchery 

Arthur Schäfer is VetConcept’s plant 

manager. The master butcher had already 

gained positive experience with the K+G 

Wetter machines at his training company. 

When it came to planning the new wet 

food plant, K+G Wetter’s automatic 

grinders were therefore right at the top 

of the pet food professional’s wish list. “At 

the time we enjoyed super cooperation, 

so it didn’t occur to me to choose any 

other option other than K+G Wetter as the 

manufacturer. The grinders are good, they 

work really well,” says Arthur Schäfer. 

“We started completely from scratch 

here in 2019. We were therefore able to 

take a clean-sheet approach to the issue 

of integrating such a grinder into the 

production line,” recalls the plant manager. 

“The ability to use these machines to 

process everything from frozen meat to 

fresh produce was crucial in allowing us 

to make our wide range of products and 

cope with the high tonnage per hour.” 

Customized modifications for 

line integration 

The K+G AW 280 automatic grinders are 

at the heart of production. In order to 

integrate them into the production 

line, they were correspondingly 

adapted to meet the customer’s 

requirements. For example, lifting and 

tilting devices for pallet boxes were 

added to the automatic industrial 

grinders, as were conveyor systems 

for individual block loading. Each AW 

280 was also fitted with a customized 

increased height hopper to enable 

block pallet loading. 

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31

PROCESSING 

Another customization to ensure 

convenient and time-saving operation 

of the two large industrial machines 

is that the side-by-side grinders are 

connected via a central operating 

platform. This allows both grinders to 

be reached via a single working area. 

A laser level monitor checks whether 

the hopper is full – if so, loading stops. 

If the hopper is empty, the worms 

run briefly and then also switch off 

automatically – a convenient feature 

for optimizing production processes 

and protecting the cutting sets. 

A single machine type for 

two different tasks 

The two K+G Wetter industrial grinders 

fulfil two different tasks in VetConcept’s 

wet feed production: One of the AW 280s 

is only used to produce coarse material 

between 16 and 25 mm – i.e. what cats 

and dogs later find as meat pieces in their 

feeding bowls. 

The second grinder is primarily used 

to process products containing bones. 

“Wherever possible, we use bones and 

cartilage as a natural source of calcium 

in our feed. This replicates how animals 

would eat naturally,” reports Arthur 

Schäfer. “In order to mince such extremely 

hard material to a size of 7 to 8 millimeters, 

the grinder used must be sufficiently 

powerful and robust.” A task that the AW 

280 masters effortlessly before the 

bone mass is fed onwards into the 

emulsifier after grinding. 

Effortless processing 

– from frozen meat 

block to fresh meat 

Processing frozen blocks 

of meat presents another 

special challenge for the 

machines. Here, the K+G 

Wetter grinders score with 

a feeder worm that has a 

peeling edge: It already precuts 

the blocks as they are fed 

towards the meat worm, without 

squeezing them. The speed is infinitely 

adjustable, as required. The result is a 

clean and clear cut with no smearing and 

a minimal temperature increase of just 

1°C to a maximum of 2°C. 

Each of the K+G grinders is also equipped 

with a pre-cutter support assembly that 

counteracts the high pressure on the 

cutting set during grinding. “This makes 

absolute sense, because the support 

assembly on the pre-cutter plays a key 

role in minimising the pressure buildup,” 

says Arthur Schäfer. “On the one 

hand, providing support from the outside 

increases the service life of the cutting 

sets, while also noticeably reducing the 

number of sharpening cycles on the 

other. Especially important is the fact that 

the quality of the ground meat in terms of 

cutting pattern, texture and temperature 

is always first-class.” 

Perfect hygiene ensures 

product safety 

Efficiently ensuring perfect hygiene 

is equally as crucial in animal feed 

production as it is in the food industry. 

This is why all K+G Wetter machines 

are consistently optimized for hygienic 

design. “Of course, from a production 

sequence perspective, it must be possible 

to quickly and easily clean the machines 

perfectly between batches. K+G Wetter 

grinders are excellent in this respect,” 

confirms plant manager Schäfer. “Since 

we produce special dietary food for 

cats and dogs, we need to separate the 

batches stringently. For example, we 

produce mono-protein varieties such as 

horse, kangaroo and goat. This means 

that the machine must be super clean 

throughout when switching batches, in 

order to protect sensitive and allergic 

animals from exposure to unwanted 

proteins.” 

To make cleaning easier for the team, a 

clean-in-place (CIP) system is installed 

throughout the production hall. This 

allows each machine to be cleaned at 

any time in a single operation using hot 

water at 60°C, or even foam, via pipes 

and hoses. Thanks to the closed housing 

made of hand-polished stainless steel and 

carefully polished, smooth weld seams, 

the grinders themselves possess optimal 

cleaning characteristics and can be 

cleaned quickly and thoroughly right into 

the last corner. “Cleaning is carried out by 

our employees themselves,” emphasizes 

Arthur Schäfer. “This is important to me, 

because their daily experience tells them 

which areas need the most attention. In 

the evening, the machines all look like 

they’ve just been installed.” 

The CIP system can also be connected 

directly to the grinders; the appropriate 

valves have been fitted for this purpose: 

“We have converted the rinsing chamber 

so that our system’s connections fit. Foam 

is then introduced, followed by warm 

water – the system functions well,” says 

Arthur Schäfer. This rinsing chamber is 

installed as a special hygienic solution 

as standard in all K+G Wetter grinders. 

Some background: During the grinding 

process, the product is conveyed through 

the cutting set under very high pressure. 

Liquid product components or even small 

product particles can be forced through 

the seals into the inside of the machine 

against the cutting set. These particles 

are collected in the rinsing chamber 

32 


PROCESSING 

Download our brochure 


33

PROCESSING 

in which sustainability plays a key role. 

After all, production line components are 

expected to function for many years while 

processing tens of thousands of tonnes of 

raw materials. “The animal feed market is 

growing enormously and at a rate that 

remains between 15 and 25 percent per 

annum. Of course, as a producer, you 

need to keep pace with this,” says Arthur 

Schäfer. 

located behind the machine, where they 

can be flushed out to prevent them from 

becoming a breeding ground for germs. 

Cleaning the feeder worm, which weighs 

over 150 kilos in the AW 280, is also 

accomplished in ideal fashion by means 

of backflushing and the CIP system: “I 

don’t have to lift the worm out at all, I just 

need to pull it out a little. Then I can rinse 

it completely from the outside using hot 

water and foam,” reports plant manager 

Schäfer. 

Sharpening service from K+G 

Wetter keeps knives ready for 

use at all times 

Especially in the animal feed sector, where 

material containing bones is processed 

and frozen meat is involved, it is extremely 

important that perfectly sharpened 

cutting set components are always used. 

For this purpose, they are replaced at 

intervals and sharpened accordingly. Here, 

VetConcept uses K+G Wetter’s sharpening 

service. The cutting sets are collected, 

sharpened and returned to VetConcept in 

an ongoing exchange program. 

Thanks to the bayonet lock nut, the 

cutting set can be changed in no time at 

all. “Of course, we plan our production 

schedule to avoid retooling as much as 

possible. But even when it’s sometimes 

unavoidable, retooling is quick and easy,” 

Arthur Schäfer reports on his experience. 

Future-proof investments 

Industrial machines such as K+G Wetter’s 

automatic grinders are a major investment 

Based on the experience gained over the 

past few years, VetConcept is anticipating 

annual growth of 20 per cent. With 

processing volumes of up to 8 tonnes of 

frozen meat blocks per hour and up to 16 

tonnes of pre-shredded frozen products, 

the AW 280 from K+G Wetter can take this 

in its stride – because the grinders still 

have plenty of excess capacity in reserve. 



www.kgwetter.de/en 

About VetConcept 

VetConcept was founded in 1997. A year 

earlier, Torsten Herz and Anita Theis, 

the current managing directors, had 

met in the waiting room of a veterinary 

practice. Both had dogs with health 

problems. During their conversation, 

they quickly realized that there was no 

feed on the market that had a positive 

effect on such typical complaints. This is 

how the idea of VetConcept was born: 

Special dietetic nutrition for dogs and 

cats with certain health impairments 

that can also be adapted to age, activity 

and breed. The idea was quickly put 

into practice, with the company initially 

working from five garages in the Ehrang 

district of Trier. In 2001, VetConcept 

moved to the start-up center in Föhren, 

and in 2005, construction began on 

the first hall at the Dieselstrasse site 

in Föhren. Dry feed production is still 

located there today, with an output of 

approx. 25,000 tonnes per year. In 2019, 

the modern wet feed production plant 

was built within sight, which currently 

produces between 15,000 and 17,000 

tonnes per year. Between 12,000 and 

16,000 packages are shipped daily from 

the respective logistics halls to end 

customers and veterinary practices. 

About K+G Wetter GmbH 

K+G Wetter GmbH builds high-quality 

bowl cutters, grinders, mixer grinders and 

mixers for food processing applications: 

Made in Germany at the Biedenkopf- 

Breidenstein site in the State of Hesse for 

over 30 years. Founded as a specialist in 

the production of artisanal machines, the 

company, founded in 1990, is now also a 

global supplier for industrial applications. 

More than 100 specialists are currently 

employed at K+G Wetter. 

34 


PROCESSING 

Deadly Mycotoxins in Pet Food 

Cost Pet Health and Brand Trust: 

There is an Answer 

Mycotoxins, a poisonous chemical found in the corn used in pet foods, are causing animal 

sickness and irreparable brand damage. To solve this issue, SORTEX LumoVision, a solution 

developed by Swiss technology group Bühler, uses the spectral scale to kick out mold from 

pet food, keeping the costs of market recall down and pets safe. 

In 2021, the FDA (Food and Drug 

Administration) alerted customers of fatal 

levels of aflatoxin, a strand of mycotoxin 

that attacks the liver, found in 1,000 lots of 

pet food. From the bad batch, it is reported 

that 130 dogs died. This statistic provoked 

lawsuits and anger from dog owners and 

the wider industry. However, the damage 

of mycotoxin contamination does not stop 

there. 

Recalling product is expensive 

One of the major costs of mycotoxin 

contamination is market recall. Recalling 

a product from the market is not cheap, 

in fact, the Grocery Manufacturers 

Association (GMA) discovered that the 

average cost of market recall is USD10 

million in direct costs alone. The financial 

hits of recalling product include: disposing 

of the product, reimbursing customers, 

and business interruption. The GMA survey 

showed that 81% of respondents deemed 

the financial risk of market recall to be 

“significant to catastrophic”. 

Contaminated product damages 

brand image 

Financial costs and damage to health are 

not the only repercussions of mycotoxin 

contamination. Once the 

media are aware of the 

situation, brand image 

can take a significant hit. 

For consumers, it takes 

a lot to repair trust in a 

brand, and while brand 

damage is difficult to 

measure, this can further 

cost companies millions in 

lifetime value. 

Contaminated 

product can cause 

mass waste 

Before the LumoVision, 

contaminated grain would 

have been disposed of in large amounts. 

During testing, if the batch has a high 

concentration of mycotoxin, in many cases, 

the entire batch is destroyed. In fact, as few 

as 2 highly contaminated grains in 10,000 

can render an entire batch unsafe. The 

Food and Drug Association (FDA) estimate 

that USD932 million is lost per year to 

crops contaminated with mycotoxin. This 

removal of the contaminated material 

may protect the consumer, but it costs 

businesses and the environment a lot 

more. 

What can be done? 

Bühler SORTEX faced the challenge of 

mycotoxin contamination head-on. After 

discovering a breakthrough “invisible 

indicator” of contamination on the spectral 

scale, Bühler created the LumoVision, 

an optical sorter that can reduce the 

aflatoxin level by up to 90% (as indicated 

by industrial trials). This reduction brings 

many samples to regulation levels, saving 

companies from the costs of large-scale 

material waste and market recall. 

It works by analyzing the color each kernel 

fluoresces as it passes under powerful 

UV lighting in the sorter. It is known that 

contaminated kernels fluoresce a specific 

bright green color, a substance called kojic 

acid, which is produced by the Aspergillus 

fungus at the same time as it produces 

aflatoxin. LumoVision’s proprietary, highly 

sensitive cameras and a powerful LEDbased 

UV lighting system can precisely 

detect this color of fluorescence. Within 

milliseconds of detection, air nozzles 

deploy to blow contaminated kernels out 

of the product stream. 

When dealing with toxins, early 

intervention is critical. This is not only 

important in reducing the toxins consumed 

by pets, but also to lower wastage and 

the environmental footprint. Without 

proper cleaning and sorting, poisonous 

mycotoxins can cause large-scale wastage 

of materials, mass market recalls, and harm 

to pets. 

Dr Gerardo Morantes, Director of Food 

Safety-Americas Region at Buhler, had 

the following to say: “Mycotoxins are a 

worldwide concern. However, technology 

made possible by Bühler SORTEX enables 

a preventative solution, meaning that 

mycotoxins can be dealt with early, 

stopping the spread and removing 

the contamination to meet regulatory 

standards.” 

Without intervention, mycotoxin 

contamination can bare a large cost for 

businesses, including, brand reputation, 

market recalls and material waste. With 

the SORTEX LumoVision, brands can stay 

profitable, customers can stay happy and 

pets can stay safe. 



www.buehlergroup.com 


35

PROCESSING 

Sustainability in Pet Food 

Production? Important Steps and 

Solutions! 

by Marc Hutter, responsible for Petfood at Zeppelin Systems in Rödermark 

Sustainably manufacture high quality food? This is the goal of many pet food manufacturers. For this, equipment and 

components are required that are specially adapted to the needs and requirements of manufacturers. This ensures not 

only high volumes, but also the highest quality levels. They should also aim to reduce material rejects. How is this possible? 

With the help of plant engineering solutions from Zeppelin Systems! We Create Solutions! 

The demand for animal food is constantly 

increasing: In Germany, more than 34 

million pets of different species now live 

in 46 percent of all households. In 2007, 

it was 23.2 million – with most pets being 

cats and dogs. Their owners have very 

specific ideas about the appearance and 

composition of the food for their beloved 

companions: pet food should be round 

or square, red or brown. Apart from color 

and shape, one thing stands out above all: 

No harmful additives! For manufacturers, 

this product variety means frequent 

batch changes and high cleaning costs. 

As a result, large quantities of production 

waste is generated, which plant operators 

have to transport away and dispose of 

at great expense. This not only drives 

up costs, it is also unsustainable. For 

this reason, specialists from Zeppelin 

Systems developed a special procedure 

to reprocess discarded material and 

return it to the production process. A 

great example of a functioning circular 

economy in the pet food production 

process! We Create Solutions! 

An important step towards 

sustainability 

Pet food manufacturers have long been 

aware that sustainable technologies are 

worthwhile. Systems and components 

should therefore be designed in such a 

way that they can avoid waste and save 

resources. And this is precisely where 

the new process from Zeppelin Systems 

comes in – the same one that has 

already won over customers in the food 

industry. The rejects produced during 

frequent batch and product changes are 

first put into an aqueous solution in a 

separate tank with an agitator. When the 

suspension has reached the appropriate 

viscosity and correct temperature, the 

plant operator can return this mixture to 

the actual process. This saves on disposal 

and transport costs, uses fewer raw 

materials and also improves the carbon 

footprint. 

Zeppelin Systems supports pet food 

manufacturers in this process as well 

as many other processing stages. This 

starts with raw material intake, extends 

to silo filling and grinding technology, 

right through to formulation-specific 

dosing and pneumatic conveying. In 

addition, there are inline screening 

machines upstream of the mixers, as well 

as components that dedust and temper. 

Quality assurance measures and concepts 

for explosion protection are also part of 

the scope of supply of the experienced 

plant manufacturer. 

Notable developments in recent years: 

The customer receives their customized 

system with the required performance 

combined with the highest level of 

accuracy. This can only be achieved if 

those responsible keep an eye on the 

entire raw material handling process. The 

experts at Zeppelin Systems master all 

process steps and the respective process 

and measurement technology down to 

the last detail. This means that the system 

builders can offer perfectly coordinated 

complete solutions from a single source. 

Tailor-made solutions 

At first glance, the individual technologies 

do not appear complicated; however, 

the processes are still changing. Gentle 

pneumatic transport is now playing an 

increasingly important role – after all, 

neither animal lovers nor producers are 

happy with crumbs in their dry food. 

Dense phase conveying (Dense-Tec) 

achieves this feat without destroying the 

structure of the feed. The process is now 

state-of-the-art and replaces mechanical 

conveyor technology. It is more flexible, 

prevents contamination and ensures 

high quality results. The pet food industry 

mainly employs Dense-Tec continuously 

between the individual process steps of 

drying, cooling and coating. 

For example, when weighing and dosing 

small quantities, plant operators must 

evenly distribute small amounts of 

vitamin powder in mixtures of several 

tons. Zeppelin has developed manual and 

automated solutions specifically for these 

small components. These are customized 

systems for batch weighing or differential 

scales including control. For liquids, 

volumetric and gravimetric components 

such as liquid scales and mass flow meters 

are available. The focus here is on ensuring 

that users can dose and weigh accurately 

Figure 1: Dense phase conveying Dense-Tec: gentle conveying for sensitive bulk materials 

36 


PROCESSING 

and without contamination. This is 

why extremely accurate measurement 

technology is also important. 

Another challenge for manufacturers is 

the variety of raw materials. These can 

also differ from region to region and, for 

example, have different bulk densities and 

properties. This has an effect on handling 

as well. One solution to these problems 

is flexible systems that can be adapted 

without major conversions. 

Safe, clean and efficient 

Quality requirements in the pet food 

sector are now based on those in the 

food industry. It’s about preventing 

cross-contamination, producing cleanly, 

making cleaning easier and maintaining 

hygiene standards. That’s why Zeppelin 

Systems has been relying on stainless steel 

as a material for a long time. To ensure 

that the customer can easily trace the 

individual batches, the plant engineers 

have developed a process management 

system. This means that every change 

to the recipe can be logged and the 

origin of all delivered raw materials can 

be traced. Customers are also able to 

archive and retrieve all production data 

Figure 2: Presentation of a flow chart for the sustainable production of pet food 

and batch reports. The advantage: If 

the manufacturer focuses on control, 

automation and documentation, they 

offer the consumer peace of mind. 

Other topics that also address the 

sustainability aspect are energy efficiency 

and effectiveness. This is especially 

important for large systems with higher 

flow rates. Zeppelin Systems replaces 

mechanical conveyors with pneumatic 

conveyors, for example. These can handle 

longer distances without any problems 

and are virtually maintenance-free. 

To ensure process reliability and high 

availability, the systems of the system 

builder are equipped with intelligent 

automation technology and extensive 

sensor technology. Zeppelin Systems also 

offers on-site service and digital services 

such as remote access. This is now part of 

everyday life in the pet food industry. 


www.zeppelin.com 

Defrosting 

Tumbling 

Pressing 

Slicing 

Mixing & Grinding 

Forming 

Separation 

provisur.com 

HIGHER YIELD 

SEPARATION 

FOR PET FOOD 

The Beehive S-Series rotary separator 

• Very high yield and quantity in pet food 

• High-speed separation leads to reduced temperature rise 

on end product 

• Robust construction with simple design 

BEEHIVE S20 


37 

BEEHIVE ®

PACKAGING 

Sustainable Packaging for Dry Pet 

Food 

by Dr. Bettina Plaumann, Kuraray Europe, Segment Team Paper & Packaging 

Innovative approaches for paper-based packaging with polymers 

Various trends and requirements are currently transforming the packaging market: renewable raw materials, reducing 

the amount of packaging material, cutting CO2 emissions, monolayer packaging, recyclability, repulpability and 

biodegradability – to name a few. The overriding and most urgent trend in packaging is sustainability. That has resulted 

in the development of packaging concepts centered on sustainability for various types of products. In the dry pet food 

market, however, conventional paper packaging is considered problematic because it uses halogenated fluoropolymers to 

create a barrier to fat. In this sector, applying a very thin layer of carefully selected plastics may make more sense and be 

more sustainable. 

such as fluoropolymers are highly 

controversial because of their potential 

harmful effect on the human – and 

animal –- organism. Moreover, pet food 

packaging containing fluoropolymers is 

extremely difficult to recycle. New, more 

sustainable alternatives to the common 

packaging types used at present need to 

ensure a similar barrier to aroma, odor 

and grease. 

Photo: iStock_1094476980 

The pet food market is booming 

In industrialized countries, the pet food 

market has grown rapidly in recent years 

– in parallel with the number of pets. The 

restrictions imposed during the pandemic 

doubtless contributed to the increased 

interest in pets, which has also led to a 

boom in pet food. In fact, the number of 

packaging units sold is growing faster for 

dog and cat food than for any other type 

of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG): 

the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) 

was around 25 percent between 2015 and 

2020. 

Paper is regarded as 

sustainable 

Consumers generally regard paper-based 

packaging as more sustainable. That 

applies to food for human consumption 

as well as pet food. However, it is vital 

to ensure that innovative packaging 

solutions continue to meet the full range 

of functional requirements for food or 

- in this case – pet food packaging. That 

is an inherent challenge for paper-based 

packaging because a reliable barrier to 

the fat content of pet food is essential. 

For example, cat food generally has a 10 

percent fat content while the fat content 

of dog food is typically up to 20 percent. 

Fluorinated hydrocarbons are 

problematic 

In conventional paper-based packaging, 

the essential greaseproof barrier is 

normally achieved with the aid of very 

problematic substances: fluorinated 

hydrocarbons. Halogenated polymers 

Intelligent new packaging 

concepts 

The four paper-based packaging 

innovations presented here meet these 

requirements because their barrier 

properties are based on Kuraray’s futureoriented 

polymers. These packaging 

solutions, some of which are already in 

commercial use, are ideal replacements 

for paper and cardboard-based 

packaging with greaseproof properties 

based on fluoropolymers. They combine 

sustainability with functionality. 

1. EXCEVAL-coated paper bags 

Example of a conceptual structure for 

such packaging: 

Paper / moisture barrier coating / EXCEVAL 

coating / heat-sealable coating 

This type of paper-based packaging is 

already in commercial use in the food 

sector. A thin, water-soluble EXCEVAL 

coating acts as an oxygen and aroma 

barrier. EXCEVAL is a halogen-free, 

hydrophobically modified polyvinyl 

alcohol (PVOH) from Kuraray. It has been 

specifically developed to ensure that it is 

resistant to water, oil and grease. EXCEVAL 

38 


PROCESSING 

can be applied to paper using conventional 

coating equipment such as rotogravure 

coaters and rod coaters. Dispersions of 

polyolefin or other polymers are used as a 

heat-sealable coating on the inside of the 

packaging. The big advantage of these 

structures is that they can be repulped 

without problem in standard paper mills. 

Repulping is a technology approach that 

has been established in the paper industry 

for many years. However, it cannot be 

used for fluoropolymers because they are 

not soluble in water. 

2. Paper-based pouches with 

a vacuum metallized layer of 

EVAL and BOPP 

This packaging concept is based on the 

following conceptual structure: 

Paper / vacuum metallized EVAL EVOH BOPP 

/ laminated cast polypropylene 

Kuraray’s ethylene vinyl alcohol 

copolymers (EVOH) are marketed 

as EVAL. A film made from EVAL 

EVOH and biaxially-oriented 

polypropylene (BOPP) is 

metallized under vacuum with a 

thin layer of aluminum, creating 

a barrier to aroma, oxygen, light 

and moisture. A simple cast 

polypropylene foil is laminated 

onto the inside of the pouch to 

act as the sealing layer. A tenter 

frame is used for coextrusion of 

the BOPP and EVOH for the outer 

layer. This packaging concept 

avoids the use of a far greater 

amount of aluminum in the form 

of aluminum foil. Nevertheless, 

EVAL EVOH provides an 

excellent substrate for vapour 

deposition of aluminum as 

well as an extremely reliable 

oxygen and aroma barrier. The 

packaging therefore prevents 

oxidation of the fats contained 

in dry pet food. The vacuum metallized 

layer is a very good light barrier and 

preserves the vitamin C in the pet 

food. This packaging concept uses the 

Photo: shutterstock_2014776479 

smallest possible amount of plastic and 

also optimizes the repulpability of the 

paper fibers because they can easily 

Safety and reliability are top priorities for pet owners when it comes to their 

beloved animals. The increasing demand for premium quality, high flexibility 

and limitless reliability is constantly presenting petfood producers with new 

challenges! 

Whether wet food in cups, cans, jars and thermoformed packaging or clipped 

products, such as dog sausage and fresh petfood filled to the exact gram, 

or snacks, such as filled and unfilled chews, treats, sticks or stripes: 

VEMAG offers reliable solutions with flexible machine systems! 

VEMAG: Boundless Passion for YOUR Solution! 

www.vemag.de · e-mail@vemag.de 


39

PACKAGING 

Dr. Bettina Plaumann studied pharmacy 

and subsequently held various positions 

in marketing communications in 

the pharmaceutical/chemical sector 

before joining Kuraray as Head of KEG 

Communications & Marketing in 2015. 

Since 2020 she has led the Kuraray 

Segment Marketing Team Paper & 

Packaging. 

Photo: Sarahbfotografie.de 

be separated from the small amount 

of polymers in the washing-step 

system. The reduction in the 

amount of aluminum deposited 

also makes the polymers used 

in this paper packaging 

recyclable. 

3. Paper-based 

pouches with a 

metallized film layer 

of EVAL and MDO-PE 

This packaging concept 

is based on the following 

conceptual structure: 

Paper / vacuum metallized EVAL EVOH 

MDO-PE / CPE 

This paper packaging is based on the 

same principle as the previous example. 

However, in this case, the ethylene 

vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) is 

combined with polyethylene instead of 

polypropylene. The inner sealing layer is 

made of polyethylene and the vacuum 

metallized film and EVAL EVOH are 

deposited on machine-direction oriented 

polyethylene (MDO-PE). Thanks to the 

tremendous technological advances 

that machine manufacturers have made 

in production equipment for multilayer 

film in recent years, multilayer films with 

MDO-PE have become an attractive 

alternative. Using MDO technology, both 

cast and blown co-extruded films can 

be uniaxially oriented to achieve better 

properties. This packaging concept also 

prevents oxidation of fat and preserves 

the vitamin C in pet food. The packaging 

does not contain any aluminum foil or 

BOPET. Moreover it uses the smallest 

possible amount of polymer and allows 

problem-free repulping of paper fibers. 

4. Repulpable paper packaging 

with PLANTIC biopolymer 

This packaging concept is based on the 

following conceptual structure: 

to its high gas barrier properties, this 

biopolymer can be used in packaging that 

preserves aroma and effectively keeps 

out oxygen. In this packaging concept, 

an inner sealing layer - polyethylene, 

polybutylene succinate or polybutylene 

adipate terephthalate – is applied to the 

PLANTIC film and also acts as a moisture 

barrier. This production technologies used 

for this type of packaging are extrusion 

coating, lamination and extrusion 

lamination. The inner sealing layer and 

adhesive can easily be separated from the 

paper in the repulping process. Moreover, 

thanks to this biopolymer, the repulping 

yield is higher than e.g. a conventional PE 

layer because the fibers do not penetrate 

the PLANTIC film. Consequently, all of 

the paper fibers can be repulped without 

difficulty. 

Consumers and brand owners 

driving the trend 

Greater sustainability and circularity 

are an urgent issue for the whole of 

society and are being driven forward by 

legislators and consumers as well as brand 

owners and manufacturers. The objective 

is to find circular packaging solutions. 

Several major players in the food sector, 

from Danone and Mondelez to Nestlé 

and Unilever, have already published 

voluntary commitments or pledges. There 

is still plenty of scope to improve the 

sustainability of packaging for dry pet 

food. Intelligent use of modern polymers 

can help give popular paper-based 

packaging the necessary functionality – 

without compromising on sustainability. 


Paper / PLANTIC film / sealing layer made 

of e.g. PE, PBS or PBAT 

This paper packaging is already used 

commercially for food. PLANTIC film is 

laminated onto the inner side of the paper. 

Kuraray produces PLANTIC biopolymer 

from renewable raw materials. It is 

made from thermoplastic starch and 

is biodegradable and compostable 

(home and industrial composting). Due 


www.packaging.kuraray.eu 

40 


Weighing Technology Helps 

Petfood Line Efficiency 

PACKAGING 

An Ishida multihead weigher and 

checkweigher are helping to deliver 

effective speed, accuracy and quality 

control at leading Irish petfood 

manufacturer Irish Dog Foods. The 

machines are part of a complete turnkey 

line installation designed by Ishida’s Irish 

distributor SF Engineering. 

Irish Dog Foods, part of the Queally 

Group, produces premium dog treats and 

pet food. The company is a leading name 

in the pet foods market in Ireland and also 

exports to over 54 countries around the 

world in Europe, North America and Asia. 

The new line was required to process and 

pack pre-formed pet treats into doypacks. 

The speed and accuracy of the 14-head 

Ishida CCW-RVE-214W multihead weigher 

are helping the line to operate at 80 

packs per minute, exceeding the target 

originally set for the installation of 60 

ppm, and deliver an Overall Equipment 

Effectiveness (OEE) of 85%. 

Key to the CCW-RVE’s excellent weighing 

accuracy is its advanced combination 

calculation software. After the best 

weight combination has been calculated 

from the 14 weigh hoppers, it is double 

checked to ensure the discharge is as 

accurate as possible before the portion is 

released to the bagmaker. 

A customized feed system maintains 

a consistent feed of product to the 

multihead weigher. This works in 

conjunction with Ishida’s patented Pulse 

Width Modulation (PWM) technology that 

provides greater control of the infeed of 

the product both at the top of the weigher 

and to the weigh hoppers. The ability to 

automatically vary both the amplitude, 

time and frequency of vibration ensures 

a steady and consistent flow of product, 

maximizing speed and efficiency and 

eliminating the danger of overfill in the 

hoppers. 

THE SMART WAY OF 

PET FOOD PACKAGING. 

TSCA 120/160 

The TSCA automatic sealing/clipping machine processes moderately 

priced flat roll stock film fully automatically into a clipped and filled tube. 

The ideal and cost-effective way to package your pet food. 

Automatic adjustment of clip pressure and displacer 

clip-pak ® benefits: 

In comparison to cans or trays clip-pak ® costs are 

30% less and packaging waste at the consumer end 

is reduced to a minimum. 

◉ Low packaging material cost 

◉ Low upstream transport & storage cost 

◉ Sustainable package due to low waste volume 

and minimized use of material 

Automatic monitoring of clip and die (RFID) 

For chubs in the calibre range of 18 to 160 mm 

Up to 200 cycles per minute in continuous mode 

Processes all commonly used flat film rolls up to 3.000 metres length. 


polyclip.com | Excellence in Clipping 

41

PACKAGING 

After weighing, product is transferred 

to the pouch filling and sealing system. 

Packs are then passed through the 

Ishida DAGS-G-S015 checkweigher and 

metal detector combination to ensure 

product is the correct weight and free of 

metal contaminants. The checkweigher 

incorporates Ishida’s Anti-Floor Vibration 

(AFV) technology to maintain high 

weighing accuracy in environments 

susceptible to floor vibration. It also 

features the company’s Retail Reject 

Confirmation (RRC) software that checks 

and confirms that out-of-spec products 

or packs have been successfully removed 

from the line. 

“We have enjoyed a longstanding working 

partnership with Ishida,” commented 

Patricia Molloy, Marketing Manager of SF 

Engineering. “The company’s equipment 

is the best on the market, particularly 

in terms of its efficiency and reliability, 

and the CCW-RVE and DACS-G were the 

perfect choices to ensure we could deliver 

our targets for the line.” 

The new line has increased throughput 

by 75 percent. Operator requirement has 

been reduced by 60 percent and personnel 

reallocated to other manufacturing 

processes, thus improving overall facility 

productivity. These benefits have led to 

a reduced cost per pack, with Irish Dog 

Foods achieving a return on investment 

within 12 months of installation. 

“The line has been working well against 

agreed targets and is helping with 

our plans for further expansion and 

automation,” said Andrew Flynn, Irish Dog 

Foods’ Factory Manager. “The solution 

that SF Engineering and Ishida have 

delivered really is impressive.” 


www.ishidaeurope.com 

Robotic Technology Answers 

Multiple Needs for PetFood 

a way to orient and load them was very 

important to the customer. With their 

robots, Cama was able to successfully 

orient the cups so they are all facing the 

same direction, with graphics aligned and 

in easy view on store shelves. 

The IF318 robotic loading system from 

Cama has been enhanced for a unique 

petfood packaging application with a US 

co-packer. Simmons Foods Inc. desired 

a system that offered flexibility to load 

varying product shapes, both cups and 

split cups of pet food. The cups are required 

to be loaded into plastic trays pre-inserted 

into cartons. Prior to loading the cups, 

Cama was challenged to align the cups 

to provide uniformity of cup graphics for 

shelf ready display. With varying flavors 

and product sizes, including small round 

(3.2 oz), regular round (4 oz) and a unique 

split cup design, there were a multitude of 

moving parts that required consolidation 

into one efficient solution at a rate of 600- 

700 cups per minute. 

Cama provided a solution that easily meets 

these needs and more. Their IF Monoblock 

system orients the cups, forms cases or 

cartons from blanks, inserts plastic trays 

into cases, loads cups into trays within 

the cases and closes the cases, all in one 

compact frame. As designed for Simmons, 

the system features four stations: case 

forming, tray depositing, product loading, 

and case closing. 

Unique needs of the project: the split 

cups are a fairly new product and finding 

Another unique challenge for this 

application was the tray handling: the 

plastic trays feature grooves to hold the 

required count of cups -- between 10 to 

36 cups per case -- on edge. The solution 

features robots to place the trays into four 

cases simultaneously, then place the cups 

into the slotted grooves in each tray. 

Cama Group’s IF Series Monoblock 

Loading Units are a unique combination 

of integrated packaging machines 

and robotic loading units that provide 

forming, loading and closing, or lidding, 

as well as added value such as reduced 

footprint, flexible size changes and high 

reliability. The system, equipped with 

Cama’s own, Y-shaped 2-axis robot, is 

designed to load various food and nonfood 

products into cases, trays, cartons, 

and other containers. 

Photos: CAMA GROUP 


www.camagroup.com 

42 


PACKAGING 

Coveris Expands Pet-Food Business 

With a Further Acquisition in CEE 

Coveris announces the successful signing 

and closure of another strategic deal in 

CEE: the acquisition of P.P. D.K. LAMIN Sp. z 

o.o. (D.K. LAMIN). 

Three years after establishing its first 

manufacturing site in Central and Eastern 

Europe (CEE), Coveris is further expanding 

its footprint by accessing the strongest 

market in the region, Poland. D.K. 

LAMIN will be integrated into the Coveris 

network and together with Coveris Pirtó 

in Hungary, create a hub for high-tech 

packaging production in Eastern Europe. 

Founded in 1990, D.K. LAMIN is an 

established, fast growing and well 

invested manufacturer of high-end 

flexible packaging laminated films 

and converted products. With its focus 

on value-added food, pet food, home 

and personal care as well as medical 

packaging, the expertise and offer of D.K. 

Lamin perfectly aligns with the existing 

portfolio of Coveris, especially supporting 

its growth strategy in pet food. 

“With this deal, D.K. LAMIN is joining an 

international network which will support 

our growth and secure our solid long-term 

future. The reliable and strong structure of 

Coveris will also be a great advantage to 

our customers.”, Pawel Daniluk, MD of D.K. 

LAMIN states. 

“We are already a very strong player in 

the pet food market and with D.K. LAMIN 

as the newest member of the Coveris 

Group we see a huge growth potential by 

adding high value capacity and expertise 

to our existing business. It is a site with 

strong focus on a fast-growing domestic 

market. Together with Pawel Daniluk, the 

former owner who is staying on board 

as managing director, we are looking to 

further invest and leverage its potential 

on the way forward.”, comments Christian 

Kolarik, CEO of Coveris, on the deal. 

Christian Kolarik (CEO Coveris), 

Pawel Daniluk (MD of D.K. LAMIN) 


www.coveris.com 

Widest optical belt sorter 

User-friendly 

Metal detection 

Camera- & laser technology 

Foreign materials / cross-contamination/under- or oversized kibbles 

Advertentie_1-4_pagina_w184xh61mm.indd 1 19/04/2023 14:37:53 


43

PACKAGING 

Pet Food Packaged in an 

Efficient, Resource-saving and 

Eye-catching Way 

Heart-shaped EasyLid® Trays and Mono-PP Thermoformer Packaging for Snacks 

for dog snacks was created at Natural 

Greatness in three different formats. Two 

products are being sold in an attractively 

designed, triangular sleeve, the third 

is provided with a large label. All three 

pack formats guarantee optimal shelf life 

without sensory changes to the product, 

even after longer storage. Due to the 

required water vapor barrier, the flexible 

packs are made from mono-PP. "Thanks 

to the mono-PP, these single-material 

packs are completely recyclable after 

use, hence contributing to more resource 

conservation," explains Marcel Veenstra. 

Heart-shaped EasyLid® tray for cat snacks 

The worldwide growth in the number 

of pets during the pandemic years 

has brought higher demands to the 

international pet food market. Buying 

criteria, which we know from our own 

food items, now also often apply there: 

pet owners pay increased attention to 

the quality of ingredients, a high-class 

product presentation, and optimal shelf 

life. A well-known partner of the pet food 

industry is SEALPAC. With efficient, hightech 

traysealers and thermoformers, as 

well as the development of innovative 

packaging concepts, the company has 

firmly established itself in this segment. 

A significant category in pet food is snacks, 

such as dog or cat treats to reward the 

four-legged friends. In this competitive 

section, pet food manufacturers must be 

able to adapt quickly to the latest trends, 

so that they can always meet the current 

needs of their customers. Here, packaging 

plays a key role. This is where the highperformance 

machines from SEALPAC, 

which have been used successfully in 

the food industry for decades, are able 

to provide support. “Suppliers of pet 

food are increasingly relying on our 

machines and packaging expertise, both 

for tray-sealing and thermoforming. Our 

skills are particularly in demand in the 

snack portfolio, as two recent examples 

show," says Marcel Veenstra, Marketing & 

Communications Manager at SEALPAC. 

Flexible thermoformer: dog 

snacks in three packaging 

formats 

The manufacturer Natural Greatness from 

Valencia in Spain, which offers dog food 

without artificial additives, is particularly 

dependent on flexibility in production. It 

takes advantage of the use of SEALPAC’s 

RE20 thermoformer, which is suitable for 

various rigid and flexible film applications. 

Just like the other models within the REseries, 

this all-in-one thermoformer can 

handle multiple packaging solutions 

without significant effort: from flexible 

film vacuum, skin, shrink and MAP 

applications, up to modern solutions 

based on recyclable mono-materials or 

films with a high fiber content. 

In close cooperation with SEALPAC’s 

representative EMO S.A., new packaging 

With the SEALPAC RE20 thermoformer, 

the Spanish manufacturer has opted for a 

compact yet high-performance solution. 

It is equipped with the unique Rapid 

Air Forming system, which achieves an 

improved forming consistency, especially 

in the corners of the pack, whilst using 

shorter vacuum and ventilation times. This 

results in higher outputs, as well as the 

possibility to use thinner materials, but 

still creates stable and perfectly shaped 

packs. The required level of flexibility in 

the production of Natural Greatness is 

supported by the innovative quick tooling 

exchange system on the RE20, which 

enables frequent product changes with 

minimum downtime. 

Cat treats in reclosable, heartshaped 

tray 

The company Futternapf in Germany was 

looking for a particularly eye-catching 

solution for its cat snacks to meet modern 

packaging requirements. It turned to 

SEALPAC as its partner. A reclosable, heartshaped 

tray was developed for its socalled 

‘Knabberkissen’ (‘nibble pillows’), 

which immediately catches the eye on 

the crowded retail shelves due to its 

striking design. “Our innovative EasyLid® 

packaging system is used here, which we 

developed in cooperation with our Dutch 

partner Naber Plastics. It was already 

44 


PACKAGING 

Innovative thermoforming concepts for pet food 

in use at various of our customers, but 

not yet in this unusual shape," as Marcel 

Veenstra explains. 

The EasyLid® solution combines a 

patented, injection-moulded tray, 

produced by Naber Plastics, with a unique 

tray-sealing technology by SEALPAC. The 

tray has a common sealing edge, as well 

as an additional ring. A peelable seal 

is applied to the regular sealing edge, 

whereas the additional ring is hermetically 

sealed in the same process. As such, upon 

opening the tray, the lid functionality is 

automatically activated. 

It means that the additional snap-on lid, 

common for this type of snack packaging, 

is no longer required. Also, there is no 

need to invest in a lidding system that 

requires extra space and more personnel 

in the factory. 

To increase awareness, Futternapf’s 

EasyLid® tray was given an attractive 

heart shape. It is available in two different 

heights and volumes (47mm high for 

70g and 87mm high for 140g). The trays 

are made of mono-PP, making them fully 

recyclable after use. 

Extraordinary geometry, full 

line control 

For any reliable packaging process, the 

trays must be able to run smoothly on the 

conveyor belt. In this case, we are dealing 

with an unusual shape that is difficult 

to guide, but it is not a problem on the 

SEALPAC traysealer. “We have developed 

our Walking Beam in-feed system 

for such cases,” says Marcel Veenstra. 

“Instead of a continuous conveyor belt, 

the well-enclosed trays are transported 

in fully controlled waves at a consistently 

high speed. It also guarantees the 

most accurate positioning of the trays 

underneath the automatic filling system,” 

he adds. Futternapf is using a SEALPAC A5 

traysealer. This model is ideal for getting 

started with fully automatic packaging, as 

it combines many of the properties of the 

larger SEALPAC traysealers in a particularly 

space-saving design. 

“These two examples show how eyecatching 

packaging solutions can be 

created for the pet food market, which 

Thermoformer packs for delicious dog treats 

combine efficient production with 

highest product quality and more 

resource conservation. SEALPAC and its 

local representatives are always happy to 

provide comprehensive advice on this,” 

emphasizes Marcel Veenstra. 



www.sealpacinternational.com 

PERFECT 

FOR PETFOOD 

The cutters, grinders and mixer grinders 

from K+G Wetter: 

Efficient technology for the production of petfood. 

More hygiene, more shelf life, more quality. 

S Ü F FA 2023 

H A L L 9 , 

B O O T H A 3 0 


www.kgwetter.de 

45

EVENTS 

Young and Innovative: Interzoo 

2024 Encouraging Start-ups 

At Interzoo 2024, start-ups and innovators from the pet industry can profit from special conditions within the Start-up 

Area. The Fresh Ideas Stage will be the vibrant center of the Start-up Hall 3 combining product presentations, panels and 

the Fresh Ideas Contest. 

Interzoo, taking place in Nuremberg from 

7 to 10 May 2024, is the most important 

sales and communication platform for 

the international pet industry. Young 

companies and innovative ideas are a key 

driver for the industry and are therefore 

a special focus of the industry’s leading 

international trade fair. "New approaches 

to solutions in the areas of technology, 

sustainability, design and nutrition 

also play an important role in the pet 

industry. Accordingly, we are pleased to 

support start-ups and innovators in their 

participation in the most international 

trade fair for the pet industry with both 

attractive offers for exhibition stands and 

additional presentation opportunities at 

the Fresh Ideas Stage", says Dr Rowena 

Arzt, Head of Exhibitions at Interzoo 

organizer WZF. 

The Fresh Ideas Stage at Interzoo 2024 will 

give new business ideas in the pet sector 

a special presence: On all four days of the 

exhibition, companies can present trendsetting 

industry topics and products in 

short on-stage presentations. Based on 

last year's success, the Fresh Ideas Contest 

will also take place on the Friday of the 

exhibition, where innovative product 

ideas and services will compete for an 

award. 

Boost from the fresh ideas 

contest 

The first-placed start-ups of the premiere 

competition at last year’s Interzoo are 

already preparing their participation in 

Interzoo 2024. Contest winner Prombyx, 

specialized in the recycling of by-products 

of silk production, will take part with an 

individual stand in Start-up Hall 3. "The 

positive feedback during Interzoo has 

motivated and encouraged us. We are 

already looking forward to presenting our 

developments at the stand we won," says 

Managing Director Fabiola Neitzel. The 

second-placed start-up The Sustainable 

People, awarded for innovations around 

biodegradable dog waste bags, is 

The Start-up Hall will be one of the highlights at Interzoo 2024 comprising Fresh Ideas Stage, 

International Start-up Area and community stand supported by the German government. // 

© WZF/Heiko Stahl 

enlarging its stand space by 25 percent. 

"This means more space to present our 

innovations in the field of recycling," says 

Sören Meissner, Marketing Manager of 

The Sustainable People. Both companies 

will be exhibiting at Interzoo 2024 in Hall 

3 in close proximity to the Fresh Ideas 

Stage. 

Funding for German-based 

start-ups 

Through the "Young Innovators" 

funding programme of the Federal 

Ministry of Economics and Climate 

Action, 25 company founders and 

young entrepreneurs from Germany can 

benefit from financial and organizational 

support at the upcoming Interzoo if 

they exhibit on the community stand 

"Young Innovators". Since 2018, Interzoo 

has been one of the exhibitions selected 

by this support programme, which has 

already shown sustainable success in the 

pet industry and assists companies in 

their international market development. 

"The support programme was crucial for 

us as a small, new company to enable 

us to participate in Interzoo 2022 and 

thus establish some interesting business 

relationships," says Patrick Weifels, 

Managing Director of PETvision GmbH, 

which produces multifunctional cat 

furniture. 

"The funded participation in the fair was 

an excellent showcase for us," explains 

Gema Aparicio, one of the founders of 

Eat Small. After two participations in the 

funded community stand with 12 sqm 

each, the pet food start-up will present 

its new insect-based products for the 

first time on its own 95 sqm stand space 

at Interzoo 2024 - a true Interzoo success 

story. 

Offers for international startups 

In order to also support newcomers with 

company headquarters outside Germany, 

Interzoo offers an attractive service 

package as part of the International Startup 

Area. This includes a specially designed 

presentation area on the prominently 

positioned community stand as well as 

selected marketing services that also 

enable smaller companies to increase 

their communicative reach. At the last 

Interzoo, 31 companies from 15 countries 

benefited from this offer. "Information 

and exchange about innovative 

products, new contacts and new business 

relationships, plus the very special startup 

feeling at the community stands and 

on the Fresh Ideas Stage: Interzoo 2024 is 

the perfect platform to enter the global 

pet industry," summarizes Dr Arzt. 



www.interzoo.com/en/exhibitors/ 

participation/start-up 

46 


We Mourn the Loss of 

our Friend and Partner 

For decades Edouard has been the representative of PetFood 

PRO and other journals of the Dr. Harnisch publishing house 

in France. 

Born in Lille in 1937, married to Marie-Christine since 1977, he 

had two children, Benjamin, *1980, and Constance, *1982. In 

2022 he became the happy grandfather of his first grandchild. 

He had been taught the German language and culture by 

his father, a medical doctor. His first internship took him to 

Leica in Wetzlar, where he developed his passion for Leica and 

photography. 

Edouard Costemend 

For 28 years he worked for Gustav Elm, an advertising agency 

in Paris, which represented, among others, the magazine 

DER SPIEGEL in France. Since 1993 he has been working 

independently with his company AD PRESSE International, 

since 2000 exclusively for Dr. Harnisch Verlag. His son Benjamin 

has meanwhile succeeded him as area representative for 

France. 

In addition to his professional activities, Mr Costemend was 

an umpire at the French Open Tennis Championships at 

Roland Garros. Furthermore, he was characterized by lively 

cultural and political interests. 

Edouard Costemend was a noble, impressive man; he was 

trusted and held in high esteem everywhere. His integrity was 

a benchmark for all his colleagues. At the same time Edouard 

could be very funny and had a warm sense of humor. He was 

a wonderful host whenever we met in Paris and he loved 

showing the team different special places, away from the 

more tourist areas. 

We lose a valued friend and good partner and will miss him 

greatly. 

Our sympathy goes to his family, Marie-Christine, Benjamin 

and Constance. 

Benno Keller, Publisher 

Ian Healey, Editor-in-Chief

MARKETING 

The Vet‘s Corner 

Interview with Dr. Gilch, 

specialist veterinary practice 

Dr. Constanze Gilch 

Dr. Constanze Gilch 

Dr. Constanze Gilch runs a specialist veterinary practice in Postbauer-Heng, Germany. The range of services 

includes ophthalmology, dermatology, surgery, internal medicine and dentistry. 

What is high-quality pet food in 

your opinion? 

The term "high-quality" has changed 

considerably in recent years. Every pet 

owner understands it differently. In my 

opinion, high-quality pet food consists 

of good ingredients without too many 

additives. Because many of these 

additives are not really necessary and 

you often don't know how many of them 

are actually included. What may be good 

for us humans is not necessarily good 

for an animal. High quality pet food 

should contain the actual ingredient 

in good quality. It is important that 

the food covers the individual needs 

of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and all 

necessary minerals and vitamins of the 

respective animal. 

Does it have to be organic? 

Yes, for me personally it does. After all I 

do not only want my pet to be well, but 

also that the animal I feed it had a nice 

life. 

What does "complete" nutrition 

mean for pets? 

A food is complete if it can meet an 

animal's entire requirement for the 

nutrients it needs. It is important to 

distinguish between complete feed 

and supplementary feed. Complete 

food offers all necessary ingredients in a 

balanced relation. Possibly the support 

of a nutritionist can be useful. 

What do you mean by "speciesappropriate" 

pet food? 

A pet food is species-appropriate if 

it provides what is similar to a food 

found in the wild. With a vegan diet 

of a pet, however, it could become 

difficult, because this can lead to serious 

deficiency symptoms. A vegan diet may 

be temporarily necessary as an exclusion 

diet for severe allergies, for example to a 

specific protein. However, it is important 

to replace the vitamin B12. If you 

prepare the food yourself, you should 

always have the ration calculated by a 

professional. 

What developments have you 

observed in the field of pet 

food in recent years? 

In the past 20 years, two main trends 

have been visible. On the one hand, a 

grain-free diet has become established, 

since grain was sometimes used as a 

cheap filler in pet food. However, grainfree 

diets can cause various diseases, 

such as heart disease, which are not 

curable. Of course, this also depends on 

the particular animal: a dog obviously 

needs grain in certain amounts, whereas 

a cat does not. This was not even known 

until a few years ago. While veterinary 

medicine is already further along here 

and has recognized the benefits of 

substances from the grain for dogs, 

this knowledge has unfortunately not 

yet made its way to pet owners and 

pet stores. On the other hand, there is 

a trend toward rare protein sources to 

give pets something special, such as 

horse meat, kangaroo, water buffalo or 

insects. Here I clearly see a tendency 

towards humanization. And this trend 

is not necessarily good for the animal, 

because more and more often patients 

come to the practice with the suspicion 

of a feed intolerance, which have already 

received all "rare protein sources" at the 

age of 1 or 2 years. So there is no room at 

all for a food change to something they 

are guaranteed not to react to yet. This 

becomes difficult at the latest when all 

attempts with alternative carbohydrate 

and protein sources have already been 

exhausted at the beginning of a therapy. 

Rare protein sources should therefore 

not be offered from the outset. 

What do you think about 

BARFING (to feed a natural raw 

diet)? 

There are patients who cannot tolerate 

maximum processed food and readymade 

products. If the food is actually 

self-prepared, it is a good thing. After 

all, there is a good intention behind it if 

you want to know what is in it. BARFING 

with prepared products in the form 

of a "ready-made sausage", however, I 

consider dangerous, because there are 

many bacteria and fecal germs in it. Here 

it is always important to have a good 

source of supply of the ingredients used. 

48 


MARKETING 

Sabine Straka is Assistant Editor 

with PetFood PRO at Dr. Harnisch 

Publications 

What should be fed in certain 

intervals? 

In a balanced and complete diet with 

complete food, no other nutrients are 

necessary, except for dental care. 

What food can I use to support 

an animal's dental health? 

Dental care cannot be achieved 100 % 

through food alone. Chewing articles, for 

example from cattle scalp, can be given in 

between. However, these do not replace 

the toothbrush! It is still necessary to 

brush the teeth additionally. At least 

every 24 to 48 hours plaque should be 

removed. 

How to prevent allergies with 

appropriate pet food? 

Already during pregnancy, a high 

quality diet is important. The mother 

should get probiotics for a healthy 

intestinal flora, as well as the puppies 

in the first months, this leads to greater 

resistance. Thus, after 4 years, more than 

80 % less allergies were observed in 

dogs. The protective effect through the 

microbiome was effective throughout 

their entire lives. Good hygiene can 

prevent gastrointestinal infections and 

intolerances. During the first 6 to 12 

months, antibiotics should be given only 

in extreme emergencies. 

What would you like to see from 

pet food manufacturers? 

The ingredients should be declared 

more clearly and not just somewhere 

hidden in the small print. The declaration 

"With chicken" I consider misleading, 

because only 4 % of it has to be in the pet 

food, while with the designation "Pure 

meat" exclusively chicken is contained. I 

would also like to see that not as many 

ingredients as possible are added to 

pet food, such as herbs, berries, and 

the like, just because we consider such 

ingredients to be healthy. Instead, we 

should ask ourselves: Do we really need 

this? What actually needs to be in it? 

Thank you, Dr. Gilch, for your 

insights and your infectious 

love amd care for pets. 


49

EVENTS 

Premiere of the Pet Food Zone at 

Anuga FoodTec 2024 

New presentation platform for the pet food industry 

Anuga FoodTec - the International Suppliers Fair for the Food and Beverage Industry, 

is expanding its exhibition space to include a special section for the pet food industry. 

The Pet Food Zone will celebrate its debut at the next Anuga FoodTec, which is being 

staged in Cologne from 19.-22.03.2024. It serves as an ideal presentation platform 

for all suppliers from this spectrum of offers of the trade fair and places the focus on 

innovative ideas and products. 

In this way, the trade fair is reacting to 

the high demand from the industry: 

The market for pet food is experiencing 

continual growth and recently recorded an 

annual growth rate of over three percent. 

With a turnover of around 30 billion Euros 

in the year 2022 in Europe alone this 

was reason enough to offer the pet food 

market an area of its own. "Many of the 

Anuga FoodTec exhibitors already offer 

a wide selection of solutions for the food 

industry that can be equally implemented 

for the pet food industry. On installing the 

Pet Food Zone we are creating a central 

information hub that enables the visitors 

to inform themselves in a fast and simple 

process about the solutions offered 

for their sector," said Matthias Schlüter, 

Director of Anuga FoodTec. 

Under focus: Innovative 

technologies 

The requirements for the production, 

quality, packaging, storage and transport 

of pet food are demanding and are on a par 

with the high standards of the food and 

beverage industry. The manufacturers of 

pet food are thus increasingly interested 

in innovative technologies that make their 

production even more competitive and 

cost-effective. Anuga FoodTec already 

attracted over 3,000 decision-makers from 

the pet food industry in the year 2022. 

Both established and aspiring companies 

have the opportunity to present their 

products and services at Anuga FoodTec 

2024: From novel pet foods through to 

innovative technologies and sustainable 

concepts such as environmentally-friendly 

packaging solutions. 

Organized by Koelnmesse, Anuga FoodTec 

is placing the emphasis on the key theme 

Responsibility. The professional and 

industry sponsor is the DLG, the German 

Agricultural Society. 

New exclusive media partner 

The trade magazine PetFood PRO is the 

new and exclusive media partner of the 

Pet Food Zone. 

The English-language magazine belongs 

to the publishing house, Dr. Harnisch 

Verlag, which, launched in 2019, is the 

international magazine for executives 

and specialists of the pet food industry. 

"The cooperation with PetFood PRO and 

the Dr. Harnisch publishing house as a 

long-standing and reliable partner of 

both the food and beverage industry 

underlines the new relevance of the pet 

food industry at Anuga FoodTec," is how 

Matthias Schlüter, Director of Anuga 

FoodTec, explained the cooperation. 

Benno Keller, publisher and President of 

the publishing house also emphasized 

the importance: "We have known 

Anuga FoodTec since its inception and 

are delighted to be part of the further 

development of the trade fair. Almost 

every family has a pet and the quality of its 

food is becoming increasingly important. 

The exhibitors of Anuga FoodTec play an 

essential role here." 

Koelnmesse – industry trade fairs for the 

food technology sector: Koelnmesse is an 

international leader in organizing trade 

fairs in the field of food and beverage 

processing. Anuga FoodTec and ProSweets 

Cologne are established, world-leading 

trade fairs, hosted in Cologne/Germany. 

In addition to the events at its Cologne 

headquarters, Koelnmesse also stages 

further food technology trade fairs with 

different sector-specific areas of focus and 

content in key markets across the world, 


Matthias Schlüter, 

Director KoelnMesse GmbH 

including India, Italy and Colombia. These 

global activities enable Koelnmesse to 

offer its customers bespoke events and 

leading regional trade fairs in a variety 

of markets, thus creating the foundation 

for sustainable international business. 

Koelnmesse is also ideally positioned in 

the field of food and beverages with its 

leading international trade fairs Anuga 

and ISM and its global network of satellite 

events. 



www.anugafoodtec.com 

50 


Join the 

biggest EU 

ingredient event 

this November 

PROCESSING 

IN-PERSON 28-30 November, Frankfurt, Germany 

fi-europe.eu/harnisch23 


51

LAST PAGE 

Upcoming Events 

September 26-27, 2023 

9th Nordic Pet Food Conference 

Aalborg, Denmark 

www.norpetfood.com 

October 3-5, 2023 

VICTAM LatAm 2023 

Sao Paulo, Brasil 

www.victamlatam.com 

November 23-24, 2023 

Zoomark China 

Guangzhou, China 

www.victamlatam.com 

November 28-30, 2023 

Fi Europe 

Frankfurt, Germany 

www.interzoo.com 

March 19-24, 2024 

Anuga FoodTec 2024 

Cologne, Germany 

www.anugafoodtec.com 

May 7-10, 2024 

Interzoo 2024 

Nuremberg, Germany 

www.interzoo.com 

September 26-28, 2024 

PPMA 

Birmingham, UK 

www.ppmashow.co.uk 

May 3-8, 2025 

IFFA Frankfurt 

Frankfurt, Germany 

www.iffa.messefrankfurt.com 

International Magazine November 2023 ISSN 2628-5851 


Preview November 2023 

Gelatine, Proteins, Hydrocolloids, 

Drying, Extrusion, Testing 

Pouches, Labelling, 

Food Ingredients Europe, BARF, 

… and lots more! 

Ingredients: Antioxidant Update, Developing Insects, Finding Palatability Freshness 

Processing: Extrusion & Drying, Spotlight on Sorting, Steam and Cooling Tunnel 

Packaging: Pouch Technology, Sustainability, Bagging and Palletizing 

Marketing: Aquarium Innovations, Pets in the Family, Zoomark, Victam, Petfair SEA 

Impressum 

ISSN 2628-5851 


Publishing Company: 

Dr. Harnisch Publications 

Eschenstraße 25 

90441 Nuremberg, Germany 

Tel: +49-(0)-911-2018-0 

Fax: +49-(0)-911-2018-100 

E-mail: food@harnisch.com 

Internet: www.petfoodpro-mag.com 

www.harnisch.com 

Editor-in-Chief: Ian Healey 

Tel: +49-(0)-911-2018-215 

E-mail: ihealey@harnisch.com 

Publisher: Benno Keller 

International Communications: 

Benjamin Costemend, Gabriele Fahlbusch, 

Steve Max, Britta Steinberg 

Editorial Team: 

Editorial Team: 

Pamela Almenara Cabrera, Sabine Straka, 

Axinja Peine , Sabine Straka, Britta Göpfert, Bruno Bozic 

Steve Max, Sabrina Maasberg 

Digital: Britta Steinberg 

Digital: Britta Steinberg 

Graphic Designer: Sabine Krauss 

Graphic Designer: Pamela Almenara Cabrera, Sabine Krauss 

Technical Manager: Armin König 

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Advertising: Sabrina Maasberg 

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Subscription Information: 

Qualified Readers, executives in the food industry, are put on the 

Subscription Information: 

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Qualified Readers, executives in the food industry, are put on the 

Annual subscription 2020 (4 issues) – € 44 (Domestic)/€ 52 

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Adobe # 136789004 

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