Golden Pet Food products use the finest raw materials in order to meet the increasing demand for quality and variety in the market – demand that is driven by the trend toward humanizing pets.
“We don’t think of ourselves as pet owners but more as pet parents, which means we want the very best for our cat and dog children,” explains Marcel Ramseyer, Head of Market Segment Pet Food at Bühler. “Humanization means that trends in human food consumption are being replicated in the pet food sector. Greater fresh meat inclusion is a big thing, while we are also seeing a rise in alternative plant-based protein solutions as well as vegan dog food.”
Navarro believes the secret to differentiating his company’s product in a highly competitive market is the quality of the extruder he uses. It is in the extrusion process that the cooking takes place following the processing of the raw materials by blending, mixing, and grinding. It is here that the modification of the starch and denaturation of proteins happens, along with the shaping, expansion, and texturing of the end product. This process also dictates the quality and taste of the product.
“In the end it is the extruder that is the heart of the production process, so that is where you have to put more focus because it is where you can provide more value to your product,” explains Navarro. “The Bühler extruder offers us a very homogeneous product that is highly digestible. It has also allowed us to launch different types of products that need high starch digestibility, which we were not able to reach with our previous machines.”
Navarro also appreciates other benefits that the extruder offers, including the fact that it is very intuitive to operate. This means that staff can be trained quickly to use it and it is very easy to maintain and clean – all factors that are important in meeting the highest food safety standards.