Abstract: A palatability enhancer composition for pet food comprises a pyrophosphate salt or an acid phosphate salt. The palatability enhancer may also include at least one of the following: an organic acid, a flavor, and phosphoric acid.

Abstract: A high moisture animal food product containing meat is disclosed in which a portion of the meat is replaced with a filamentous fungal biomass, produced from the fermentation of a medium such as soybean whey by a fungi, such as Aspergillus Oryzae. An unexpected improvement in palatability is obtained with meat products containing the fungal biomass.

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.