Abstract: A novel, protein-rich food product, especially suitable for domestic animals, is made by subjecting protein material such as meats or fish to acid-producing fermentation, and preferably also to autolysis or proteolysis, and adding the acidic fermented material to a colloidal solution of protein, such as milk or soya milk, whereupon the diposed protein is precipitated and forms a curd that entraps and binds the particles of fermented material. The curd and entrapped material are separated off and compacted into a coherent mass. The product, which is a compacted mass of the precipitated protein with particles of the fermented material distributed through it, can have the consistency of a cheese and may be formed into "cheese" shapes. The flavor of the product is influenced by the nature of the fermented material.

Abstract: An improved process for producing a red color in meat, particularly sausage, using Micrococcus species NRRL-B-8048 alone or preferably in admixture with Lactobacillus plantarum and/or Pediococcus cerevisiae or with other lactic acid producing bacteria is described. Micrococcus sp. NRRL-B-8048 rapidly (in about 4 hours or less) develops the solid bright red color associated with sausage and other fermented and non-fermented meats in the presence of edible nitrate or in the presence of relatively small amounts of added edible nitrite sufficient to more rapidly generate a red color because of NRRL-B-8048. Combinations of the nitrite and nitrate can be used. NRRL-B-8048 can be used to produce processed meats with a red color with a very limited fermentation time (hours) or to produce sausage with a longer fermentation time (days). Micrococcus sp. NRRL-B-8048 is preferably provided in the form of a cell concentrate which is frozen for storage and subsequent thawing for use.

Abstract: Aerobic fermentation processes which involve mixing an aqueous microbial food medium with a microbial culture are controlled by continuously withdrawing a sample of the microorganism culture and a sample of a mixture of the aqueous food medium and the microorganism culture, directly and continuously measuring a respiration rate of both samples and proportionating the amount of the microorganism culture admixed with the food medium in response to the respiration rate measured to maintain a ratio of the biochemical oxygen demand of the food medium to that of the microorganism culture at a preselected constant value. This control process is preferably used when decomposing wastes such as sewage by aerobic microbial fermentation.

Abstract: A method for converting feedlot fecal waste materials into methane and animal feed is disclosed. In the disclosed method, the feedlot fecal waste materials are collected, combined with water to form a slurry and the slurry is thereafter subjected to an anaerobic fermentation process. The anaerobic fermentation process is carried out under conditions such that a methane rich gas is formed which can be collected and utilized as an energy source. The liquid residue material from the anaerobic fermentation step is thereafter subjected to an aerobic fermentation process to produce a protein rich material that can be utilized as an animal feed. The liquid residue remaining from the aerobic fermentation process can be utilized as a fertilizer material.

Abstract: The palatability of animal foods is increased by incorporating therein an effective amount of a palatability improving composition prepared by reacting an aqueous mixture of protein and emulsified fat with lipase and protease. For dry animal foods, a fat such as bleachable fancy tallow or butter oil is preferably emulsified with a proteinaceous emulsifier, subjected to the action of the enzymes and then sprayed onto the animal food as an emulsion. For intermediate moisture animal foods, a meat slurry is preferably treated with the enzymes and then combined with the other ingredients of the animal food.

Abstract: A protein-vitamin concentrate having a high proportion of dry yeast and a protein content of at least 50% and particularly rich in B-vitamins, is produced by cultivating yeast in a culture medium containing animal or vegetable fat as a source of carbon, at a pH of 4 to 6 and a temperature of 30.degree. to 40.degree.C. and an aeration intensity of 150 to 300 cubic meters of air per square meter of fermenter base area per hour, the culture containing also an ammonium salt or carbamide as a source of nitrogen, the nitrogen content of the culture medium being 0.1-0.2%, the N:P ratio being 4:1, potassium and chloride ions being present in the form of 0.1-0.2% KCl, and Mg and SO.sub.4 ions being present as 0.080-0.1% MgSO.sub.4.