Silliker offers promotion on petfood process validation studies

Silliker is offering a 10% off promotion on Pet Food Process Validation Studies contracted before June 1, 2015, with the company's Food Science Center team.

Process validation studies vary in complexity, according to Silliker. The most complex studies allow for the most long-term flexibility since they create the ability to predict lethality for a range of processing temperatures, while the most simple validate current processing parameters. The Silliker Food Science Center can design and conduct process validation studies to meet business needs customized for a specific product, critical control points and business goals.
Options include:

• Literature review to summarize published findings that may pertain to process and product
• Design and execution of D- and Z-value studies which give the most long-term flexibility for processing
• In-plant validation studies including selection of an appropriate surrogate organism for product and processing temperature range
To take advantage of the 10% discount offer, contact Silliker. 

Wenger to host petfood processing safety seminar

Corporate Project Services, a division of Wenger Mfg., will host the Food Safety Seminar Focused on Pet Food Processing on March 31–April 3, 2015, in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Hampton Inn & Suites—Country Club Plaza.
A group of industry professionals will gather to share their knowledge and expertise in the area of petfood safety. They will share food safety information as it applies directly to each step of the petfood production process; from plant design to sourcing raw materials, production, sanitation and packaging. The four-day seminar costs US$1,600 and includes course materials, morning and afternoon refreshments, three lunches, two dinners and bus service to Wenger Technical Center for hands-on demonstrations.
Registration deadline is March 6, 2015.

Kansas State University Department of Grain Science and Industry to offer online petfood processing course

The Kansas State University Department of Grain Science and Industry and Global Campus will offer the course, “Pet Food Processing,” GRSC 645 ZB, for the fall 2014 semester. Taught by a team of experts in the industry and academia, the course will offer a strong emphasis on practical, real-world examples from the trade, according to the school.

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Guest lecturers for the course include Department of Grain Science and Industry faculty Greg Aldrich, Sajid Alavi, Cassie Jones, Charles Stark, Bhadriraju Subramanyam and Fred Fairchild. Guest lecturers from industry include Brian Plattner, Wenger Manufacturing; Craig Cowley, Hills Pet Nutrition; Brian Strouts, American Institute of Baking; and Brian Hale, Bemis Packaging.
The course will be of interest to those working in the petfood industry and petfood sales as well as petfood nutrition, packaging and processing. 
The course will be an overview of the petfood industry and the processes involved with the production of food for companion animals. Course subjects will range from industry statistics and segmentation to raw material identification, handling and processing. The science and technology behind petfood extrusion, baking, canning and injection molding will be discussed, along with an overview of petfood manufacturing plant design, packaging of petfood, regulations governing petfood production, petfood business management and animal evaluation techniques, project management and formulation.
“Pet Food Processing” is offered for three credit hours from Kansas State University.

Wenger to host Pet Food Processing Technology Seminar in September

Wenger Manufacturing will host its annual three-day Pet Food Processing Technology Seminar on September 9–11, 2014, in Sabetha, Kansas.

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The course, which includes both classroom and hands-on training, will be held at Wenger Technical Center, and is open to all plant management, operations and maintenance personnel involved in the petfood industry. It will offer an “Operations” and a “Maintenance” track.
In addition, Wenger will offer an Advanced Pet Food Processing Technology Seminar for R&D and engineering personnel on September 16–18, 2014. The course, which will also be held at Wenger Technical Center, is tailored for those with an engineering and/or food science background. Offering these multiple curriculum tracks allows the course material to cover topics in greater depth and give attendees access to more information that is specific to their individual jobs and fields of interest, according to organizers.

Kemin to expand Missouri processing plant

Kemin Industries plans to expand its production facility in Verona, Mo. The five-year expansion plan includes a more than US$14 million capital investment and is expected to create 24 jobs, according to reports.

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According to the state Missouri Department of Economic Development, the firm’s expansion will allow increased production capacity of the existing facility that manufactures meat protein used in palatants for premium and superpremium petfoods. “Missouri’s prime location in the middle of the animal health science corridor has provided an excellent environment for our palatant plant,” said Giuseppe Abrate, president of Kemin Industries’ petfood ingredient division. “Access to diverse industry resources has served our business well and will help us achieve our vision of touching half the people, and pets, of the world with our products and services.”
The Verona expansion is part of the company’s global expansion plan. Kemin is in the middle of a US$40 million expansion at its corporate headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, where it recently opened a new state-of-the-art research and development facility. When this expansion is complete, Kemin will have added six new manufacturing facilities, three research facilities and a new corporate headquarters building in Southeast Des Moines.

Wenger to present petfood processing safety seminar April 29-May 2, 2014

Wenger Manufacturing's Corporate Project Services division will host a Food Safety Seminar Focused on Pet Food Processing on April 29-May 2, 2014. The petfood processing safety seminar will take place at the Hyatt Place Hotel-Kansas City Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. 
The seminar will consist of classroom instruction and practical demonstrations at Wenger's Technical Center Extrusion Lab in Sabetha, Kansas, USA. A number of representatives from the industry will present from companies including Wenger, SafetyChain, Charm Sciences Inc., Del Monte, Petfood Industry and more. 
Learn more and register for the seminar online.

Wenger announces September pet food processing technology seminars

Wenger Manufacturing will offer two Pet Food Processing Technology Seminars in September for plant managers, operations and maintenance personnel, and engineers in the petfood industry.
The first course, Pet Food Processing Technology Seminar, will be held from September 13-15. Hands-on training and classroom sessions will be offered in each of the seminar's two tracks: "Operations" and "Maintenance." The seminar will review extrusion and drying systems procedures and theory, while introducing new technologies for process improvement and product quality. The cost for this program is US$1,500 per person, which includes course notes, morning and afternoon breaks, daily lunch and two evening meals.
The second course, Pet Food Processing Technology Advanced Seminar, will be held from September 20-22. This course is geared toward technology, research and development, and engineering personnel. The advanced seminar will cover the science and theory behind the extrusion process through a blend of classroom and hands-on instructions. Participants will be required to develop a petfood product using a small scale extruder, analyze the process and project the scale-up to a production system. The cost for this program is US$1,500 per person, which includes course notes, morning and afternoon breaks, and lunch each day.
Both courses will take place at Wenger's Technical Center in Sabetha, Kansas, USA. Attendees are required to make their own hotel and travel arrangements. The registration deadline to attend either course is July 30.

Safety considerations for petfood plant owners looking to modify facilities

Petfood plant owners looking for ways to modify existing facilities to accommodate new petfood processes must consider the challenges in doing so, due to many recent recalls for petfoods contaminated with Salmonella, says an article in Reliable Plant magazine. 
Four primary contamination pathways must be examined to determine whether there is impact on sanitary operations: the path of the product from raw material to final product, surrounding process areas such as hallways and packaging, offices and exterior areas. The treatment of fines, product dust that collects at the bottom of all process and packaging equipment, may be another contamination pathway commonly overlooked.
Positive air pressure systems are often useful in retrofitting an existing petfood plant because they create a pressure differential between processing areas and outside spaces, which prevents airborne flow of contaminants to sanitary areas. In addition, facilities that typically clean with water and drain systems should consider alternatives to cleaning with water such as vacuum systems or pressurized carbon dioxide. Culture of the existing plant should be taken into account by educating plant personnel of sanitary practices and good manufacturing processes (GMPs) for petfood. Petfood plant owners may want to consult an experienced engineer who can bring knowledge gained from other related industries to modifying their existing plant.

Texas A&M hosts course on feeds and petfood extrusion

A Practical Short Course on Feeds & Pet Food Extrusion will be presented Jan. 30 through Feb. 4, 2011 at Texas A&M University.
The program will cover information on designing new feed mills, and selecting conveying, drying, grinding, conditioning and feed mixing equipment. Texas A&M staff, industry representatives and consultants will review current practices for processes like petfood production; extrusion of floating, sinking and high fat feeds; spraying and coating fats, digests and preservatives; use of encapsulated ingredients and preparation of premixes. Practical demonstrations of petfood, vacuum coating and more will be given on four major types of extruders using various shaping dies.
Reservations for the event are accepted on a first-come basis. For more information, programs and application forms contact Dr. Mian N. Riaz by phone at +1.979.845.2774 or by E-mail at mnriaz@tamu.edu.

Companies offer free processing webinar

K-Tron Process Group announced its collaboration with Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems to present a complimentary technical webinar, “Innovations in Continuous Processing,” that offers pharmaceutical and food processors the latest detailed process information about continuous mixing and loss in weight feeding.
The webinar, set to take place on February 10, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. (EST), will cover developments in continuous feeding and refill operations, with an emphasis on continuous blending for the ultimate in flexibility and processing of multiple ingredients.
For free registration, visit www.ktron.com/webinars.

Reducing costs in wet petfood production

Savings can often be achieved by optimizing usage of gels and thickeners. Read the full article.

Petco and TerraCycle to recycle petfood bags

Petco and TerraCycle are testing a petfood bag recycling program in Petco locations in New York and New Jersey, according to a news report.
The companies aim to launch the bags by the year’s end. The program includes bins to turn in empty petfood bags, which would then be recycled into tote bags.

Supreme Pet Foods launches debate over industry standard

Supreme Pet Foods is seeking an industry standard to guarantee quality and consistency in the production, packaging and marketing of small animal petfood, according to a new report. The standard would define claims about nutritional content and commonly used marketing terms such as "complete," "complementary" and "beneficial fiber" and also standardize the implementation of quality process controls in the production of petfoods, according to Supreme.
The company has invited interested parties to contribute to the debate called “The Case for Quality.”
The manufacturer said problems like misleading package declarations and transparency in labeling of vegetarian foods for herbivores were discovered via tests. It has called for an industrywide agreement on the communication of dietary information such as sugar and fiber content.

PFI to hold China export training program

The Petfood Institute is holding a special training session for its members and others from the U.S. pet food industry on China’s facility certification and product registration requirements on July 30 in Washington. The training program coincides with the Association of American Feed Control Officials annual meeting.
For U.S. companies to export pet food to China, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services must certify to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine that the manufacturing facility meets specific requirements and the products must be registered with China's Ministry of Agriculture. At the training program, a representative from AQSIQ will provide an overview of the agency's requirements.