PetFood PRO 2/2024

COVER STORY
New Functional Ingredients to
Improve Texture and Natural
Coloring
by Maike Rakebrandt, Senior Product Management Companion Animals (Equine & Pet), Leiber GmbH (2024)
Leiber YeaFi® products combine brewers’
yeast benefits with the functional
properties of fibers o. a. from spent grain
and sugar beet pulp. In practical use
in dry kibbles and vegan or vegetarian
applications a positive impact on coloring,
smell and texturization were seen. Leiber
YeaFi® were also used as dilutatant
of spray dried hydrolyzed liver or as
substitute for pure dried brewer´s yeast
because it is less hygrosgopic. The fiber
content in Leiber YeaFi® are important
also from an economic point of view. Pet
food products compete more and more
often with food products for natural fiber
sources which directly increases the price
of the pure natural fiber ingredients.
The snack category is the second most
sold, right after dry food. The market share
for semi-moist and baked snacks has
been rapidly increasing. In oven-baked
snacks the moisture level is reduced to
10%. Semi-moist snacks are products that
Table 1: Leiber YeaFi® nutrition and fiber profiles in %
contain 14-30% moisture. Therefore, it
is important to explore ingredients that
have impact on the texture and quality,
and such that are naturally contribute to
prevent microbiological spoilage.
Material and Methods
Leiber YeaFi® is rich in dietary fiber and
brings at the same time the brewers’
yeast with a high level of protein into the
formulations. Using blended products at
the 3-4% inclusion levels can contribute
to the 1,2-1,6% of brewers’ yeast in the
formulation while at the same time could
replace use of fiber up to 2%. For this test
we used different types of Leiber YeaFi®.
Leiber YeaFi® BTR based on brewers‘ yeast,
spent grain and beet pulp and Leiber
YeaFi® AB-F with brewers’ yeast, apple
pomace and beet pulp. Both contain a
high soluble fiber fraction (Table 1).
After a technical pre-test in the lab Leiber
YeaFi® BTR and Leiber YeaFi® AB-F were
tested in semi-moist functional snacks
included at 5 and 10%.
The semi-moist snacks were formulated
with the following declaration: poultry
meal, potato starch (pregeled), pea
starch (pregeled), glycerin, pea fiber,
preservatives. In test samples with 5%
test product, pea fiber was completely
exchanged. In the test samples with
10% test product the pea fiber was fully
replaced and 5% of pea starch was reduced.
The nutritional analysis showed that when
Leiber YeaFi® products were added to the
formulations, crude fiber were decreased,
but protein content and soluble fiber were
increased in the snacks.
The technical analyses of the test and
control snacks were done in three periods,
immediately, seven days and a month after
the production. Following parameters
were analysed: moisture, pH, aW, texture,
firmness, energy, adhesiveness and
stickiness. Texture analyses are important
for both impacts on physical quality but
also on sensory analyses like palatability.
Additional to the semi-moist snack, vegan
oven-baked snacks were produced in a
two-step baking/drying, to imitate the
commercial baking process. The moisture
level was reduced to 10%. Reduction of
moisture is important for shelf-life and
prevention of microbial growth, also in
baked snacks. Leiber YeaFi® BTR and Leiber
YeaFi® AB-F were formulated by adding
10% into the test recipes, which were based
on potatoe flakes, oil and pea meal. Leiber
YeaFi® products substituted 10% of the pea
meal. Moisture, pH, aW, texture, baking loss
and shrink percent were measured.
The baking loss is the weight of the snacks
before and after baking. The difference
indicates the loss of evaporation. In
addition, the weight change before
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Technology & Marketing