PEX - Pet Food Experience Center

The new 1000 sqm facility is home to a team of 30 employees, including process technicians, analysts and mechanics who now have at their disposal a new pilot plant for developing new products as well as a laboratory equipped with diverse instruments for chemical, chemical-physical and rheological analysis and nutritional/organoleptic testing. Customers visiting the PEX will find a complete solution line with the latest machinery technology for each processing step. 

The mixing and milling section is equipped with a flour mixer,hammer mill and plansifter where new recipes can be tested which includes experimenting with the mixing to find the right solution for each innovative pet food product. 

The preparation section includes a GEA CutMaster for the preparation of meat emulsions in batches, which compliments the extruder line. Besides the GEA CutMaster, GEA also can supply continuous preparation lines with grinders, mixers and emulsifiers. 

The extrusion and inserts area is furnished with a pre-conditioner and twin cooking extruder. Diverse molds and die are available for testing and experimenting with product formats and shape, and for checking compactness and quality of final products. A coex cutter for pillows, a tumbler and spray unit as well as a flavoring drum are available in the tumbler and finishing section. 

Lastly, the drying zone is equipped with both a static and a continuous dryer for achieving specific flavor characteristics, which requires temperature-specific handling. 

Learning and hands-on education play an important role at the new GEA Pet Food Experience Center. The R&D center can also be used as a training ground for customer employees, where they can learn about efficient processing and best practice. 

Workshops provide the participants with an introduction to the basics of extrusion-cooking technology, focusing on preconditioning, energy consumption, as well as the importance of moisture and mass flow balance. The primary aim is to help attendees learn how to be efficient at every step of the dry pet food production process, which includes: selection of raw materials, raw material intake, handling, weighing and dosing, mixing, grinding, conditioning, extrusion-cooking, forming, drying, coating and storage/packaging.

Pet food customers are increasingly looking for products that mirror those available to humans, not only from a nutritional and production quality standpoint, but also in terms of the variety of formats. Thanks to its long history and experience in developing food processing technologies, GEA can offer advanced solutions that are capable of setting new standards in the market.

GEA offers complete solutions to produce dry food of the highest quality for dogs and cats. GEA understands this market is changing and diversifying rapidly, which is why the company offers customized process solutions for fresh meat inclusion, grain-free formulations and alternative protein sources, including equipment for snacks and treats production. The offer includes designing and implementing these solutions to meet specific customer requirements – all followed up with professional service and support as required.

The size, shape and moisture content of each product is determined by the individual recipe, which often includes a large amount of fresh meat. The sophisticated twin screw extruders with their unique dough conditioners, ensure precision results and meet the highest standards requirements for pet food production while reducing costs significantly. 

GEA has made its own detailed study of those pet food formulations and formats that both satisfy energy and nutritional needs, while also whetting the pet’s appetite. GEA solutions for making kibbles – the most common food in pet diets, produce compositions and formats that are varied according to pet size, age and health. Likewise, additional ingredients can be incorporated in the kibble to fulfill other functional needs. Pillows, on the other hand, are snacks or that tasty reward for positive pet behavior. 

Using extrusion-cooking technology, GEA combines grains with a flavorful and nutritious filling based on the specific requirements. Dental sticks are designed and developed specifically to help dogs keep their teeth clean. Thanks to their unique shape, sticks are able to get into those hard-to-reach areas to clean teeth, which protects the pet’s health while providing them with the nutrients they need. Innovative machines and systems from GEA produce dry pet food of the highest precision and quality.

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