Abstract: A composition and a process for enhancing animal growth by orally administering the animal with the composition are provided. The composition comprises an animal feed and a yeast glucan wherein the animal feed can contain at least one starch-bearing substance such as, for example, grain meal; at least one protein-bearing substance such as, for example, fish meal; a fat-containing substance such as, for example, soybean oil; and the yeast glucan can be obtained from a yeast such as, for example, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of unique palatability enhancing materials, particularly suited for pet foods, from filamentous fungi biomasses. The palatability enhancing materials are produced by forming a slurry of a filamentous fungal biomass, and preferably an added proteinaceous material, such as meat, which is then autolyzed, in the absence of an added autolysis initiator, at a pH sufficient to form a palatability enhancing autolysate preferably at a pH of between about 2.5 and 10, most preferably of about 3.0 to 7.5. Autolysis is preferably performed at two distinct temperature stages during which endogenous protease and nuclease activity is initiated during the first stage and endogenous nuclease activity is increased during the second temperature stage, followed by substantial deactivation of endogenous protease activity.