Why Kraftia uses the latest cooking technology?
In the evolving landscape of pet nutrition, complete and balanced pet foods are extruded (cooked) to provide a shelf-stable, resilient, palatable, and pasteurized product. But how does it affect the environment?
Traditionally, continuous cooking extruders utilise a combination of mechanical and thermal energy (heat) inputs to e.g., gelatinise (cook) the carbohydrate starch, which helps bind other ingredients, forming the finished kibble product. Typically, equal or higher inputs of mechanical, compared to thermal energy, are used in this extrusion process. However, with the ongoing market trends toward increased fresh meat or freshly prepared raw protein inclusion, unique carbohydrates such as grain-free sources, product differentiation, and the continual rise in energy costs, has all meant the industry needed to explore new technology for extruders and how they cooked the ingredients.
Fast forward to today, Kraftia has adopted the latest technology that uses significantly higher levels of thermal energy inputs, in the form of steam, which has introduced a novel approach to extrusion cooking. Producing extruded pet foods with high thermal energy and low mechanical energy offers operational flexibility, production cost reduction, and nutritional benefits over traditional high mechanical energy processing, one benefit is improved nutrient retention in the finished product.
By utilising this process, Kraftia ensures a highly digestible nutritious product with all the essential nutrients that dogs and cats require. Furthermore, our commitment to sustainability is reflected in several key practices that contribute to environmental conservation:
Reduced Transportation and Carbon Footprint
By using many local ingredients, our company minimizes the distance key raw materials need to travel, resulting in less fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. This approach significantly reduces our carbon footprint, contributing to a more sustainable future.
Improved Safety of Raw Materials
We ensure the integrity and quality of our raw ingredients through product identity preservation (PIP). This practice ensures that all the raw ingredients are handled, stored, and transported in a manner that maintains their safety and quality. Kraftia’s Artisan kitchen has many International Safety and Product Quality certifications, including a 96% score from the International Feature Standards, an independent body which assesses product and process compliance in relation to food safety and quality. Kraftia’s attention to every single detail concerning food safety, results in a higher-quality final product, with a reduced risk of anything inappropriate happening, benefiting the environment, the pets’ and public health.
Fresh Ingredients, Reduced Processing
Kraftia uses freshly frozen raw animal proteins, vegetables, and fruits, in their naturally normal state, to avoid unnecessary processing steps such as drying or re-hydrating, which are common in the industry for dry extruded pet foods. This not only preserves the nutritional value of the ingredients but also reduces energy consumption and waste generation. Additionally, it’s a more humane approach to food production, as it minimizes the handling and processing of animal by-products.
Always Improving the Process
As we continue to innovate and improve our processes, Kraftia’s focus remains on delivering the highest quality nutrition to pets while minimising our environmental impact. According to our Research & Development team, the shift to high thermal energy extrusion is just one example of how we lead the way in sustainable and effective pet food production. By prioritising the local sourcing of key ingredients, maintaining high standards of cleanliness, and using a mix of fresh and freshly frozen ingredients, we are committed to creating a better future for pets and the planet. After all, that’s what we are here for.