Abstract: Breath freshening, dry pet foods, e.g., pet biscuits are prepared by topically applying a breath freshening amount of a water-soluble zinc salt to a farinaceous-based baked or cooked pet food. The amount of the water-soluble zinc salt is sufficient so that said topically-applied water-soluble zinc salt contains from about 2 mg to about 6 mg of zinc ion per 10 gm of the breath freshening pet food. Consumption of the dry pet food controls the malodorous breath of the animal. Rawhide chew coated in the same manner also provides breath freshening when chewed.

Abstract: A dry hard canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete particles, which contain (i) meat and/or meat by-product and/or (ii) farinaceous material and/or textured vegetable protein, distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a canine biscuit dough with the particles which are substantially inert with respect to the dog biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water and with the fat portion of the pet biscuit dough to form a dough, forming the dough using low shear into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. The particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry soft canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete meat and/or meat by-product particles distributes substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a soft biscuit dough with particles which are substantially inert with respect to the biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water plus optional humectant to form an intermediate stage dough, admixing the latter with the fat portion of the biscuit dough to form a final dough, forming the final dough into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. Meat and/or meat by-product particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less, and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said soft biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry hard canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete particles, which contain (i) meat and/or meat by-product and/or (ii) farinaceous material and/or textured vegetable protein, distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a canine biscuit dough with the particles which are substantially inert with respect to the dog biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water and with the fat portion of the pet biscuit dough to form a dough, forming the dough using low shear into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. The particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said biscuit dough. There is a substantial absence of particle color bleed into the biscuit.

Abstract: A dry soft canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete particles, which contain (i) meat and/or meat by-product and/or (ii) farinaceous material and/or textured vegetable protein, distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solid portion of a soft biscuit dough with particles which are substantially inert with respect to the biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water plus optional humectant to form an intermediate stage dough, admixing the latter with the fat portion of the biscuit dough to form a final dough, forming the final dough using low shear into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. The particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and, (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of the soft biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry hard canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete meat and/or meat by-product particles distributed substantially uniformly through the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a canine biscuit dough with the particles which are substantially inert with respect to the dog biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water and with the fat portion of the pet biscuit dough to form a dough, forming the dough into pieces using low-shear, non-cooking forming conditions, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. Meat and/or meat by-product particle inertness is made possible by using particles having (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry hard canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete meat and/or meat by-product particles distributed substantially uniformly through the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a canine biscuit dough with the particles which are substantially inert with respect to the dog biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water and with the fat portion of the pet biscuit dough to form a dough, forming the dough into pieces using low-shear, non-cooking forming conditions, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. Meat and/or meat by-product particle inertness is made possible by using particles having (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry hard canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete particles, which contain (i) meat and/or meat by-product and/or (ii) farinaceous material and/or textured vegetable protein, distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a canine biscuit dough with the particles which are substantially inert with respect to the dog biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water and with the fat portion of the pet biscuit dough to form a dough, forming the dough using low shear into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. The particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said biscuit dough. There is a substantial absence of particle color bleed into the biscuit.

Abstract: A dry soft canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete particles, which contain (i) meat and/or meat by-product and/or (ii) farinaceous material and/or textured vegetable protein, distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a soft biscuit dough with particles which are substantially inert with respect to the biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water plus optional humectant to form an intermediate stage dough, admixing the latter with the fat portion of the biscuit dough to form a final dough, forming the final dough using low shear into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. The particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less and, (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of the soft biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry soft canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete meat and/or meat by-product particles distributes substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a soft biscuit dough with particles which are substantially inert with respect to the biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water plus optional humectant to form an intermediate stage dough, admixing the latter with the fat portion of the biscuit dough to form a final dough, forming the final dough into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. Meat and/or meat by-product particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35 percent by weight or less, and (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said soft biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry soft canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete meat and/or meat by-product particles distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a soft biscuit dough with particles which are substantially inert with respect to the biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water plus optional humectant to form an intermediate stage dough, admixing the latter with the fat portion of the biscuit dough to form a final dough, forming the final dough into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. Meat and/or meat by-product particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35% by weight or less and, (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said soft biscuit dough.

Abstract: A dry hard canine biscuit having visually apparent, discrete meat and/or meat by-product particles distributed substantially uniformly throughout the biscuit is obtained by blending the non-fat solids portion of a canine biscuit dough with the particles which are substantially inert with respect to the dog biscuit dough, mixing the dry-blended mixture with water and with the fat portion of the pet biscuit dough to form a dough, forming the dough into pieces, and baking and drying the formed pieces to obtain a microbiologically stable product which can be packaged without a barrier material. Meat and/or meat by-product particle inertness is made possible by using particles having: (1) a moisture content of 35% by weight or less and, (2) a water activity which is less than the water activity of said biscuit dough. The substantial absence of meat particle color bleed into the biscuit is principally due to the use of meat products wherein the color is formed as part of the protein matrix.