Abstract: A gelled sheet of food product is prepared by passing a wet dough of edible substance, such as meat or meat by-product, having food value and comprising a gellable substance, such as sodium alginate, onto a rotating roller to form a sheet and initiating gelation of the gellable material, for example, in the case of sodium alginate, by spraying the material with calcium ions. The sheet can subsequently be processed, for example by being folded and cut to form chunks, which may be useful in a petfood product.

Abstract: Alginate and/or pectate gels are produced by forming an aqueous mixture of a water soluble or water dispensible alginate and/or pectate, a calcium ion sequestrant and a sparingly soluble calcium ion source at low temperature and heating the mixture to cause gelation thereof. Sequestrant is preferably sodium or potassium pyrophosphate but at least part of the sequestrant may be replaced by meat having calcium ion sequestring activity. The calcium ion source is preferably calcium sulphate dihydrate. Preferably the mixture is heated to at least 50.degree. C. to induce gelation.

Abstract: A process for preparing a proteinaceous food product comprises passing a wet dough of a mammalian and/or avian meat protein, at least part of which is functionally inert protein, between a pair of oppositely rotating rollers to form a sheet of said food product. The functionally inert protein may have been cooked or otherwise treated to impart to the protein one or more characteristics of cooked protein and/or may comprise inert scleroprotein.