Tapping into the pet food potential: how FTNON’s new solutions can make a difference

All of that adds up to enormous sales potential for pet food processors, and this is where JBT Marel FTNON can add an extra edge to both the efficiency of your operation and the quality of the final products. A global leader in thermal-food processing spaces and with more than 50 years experience, FTNON’s equipment and services are utilized by pet food processors worldwide. 

As part of its complete wet pet food processing solution, which cooks meat with the help of steam in a highly efficient manner, FTNON has recently introduced a new Extruder that offers a simpler design and operation combined with the flexibility to handle a wide range of products.

Complementing the other elements of the complete solution – which include Product hoppers with pump systems, color dosing systems, and steam and cooling tunnels – the Extruder handles the production of strands or ropes of meat paste. It offers the option to supply a number of forms and dimensions.

Tangible improvements

According to FTNON’s Global Sales Manager, Joost Lotgerink Bruinenberg, a key feature of the new Extruder is its ease of operation, combined with enhanced cleanability, the ability to produce regular and irregular chunks, and a simpler design.

The newest version of the Extruder has also been developed, he says, in response to customer feedback. “The Extruder meets a demand for more irregular chunks and also ‘meat-like’ products, which bear a resemblance to pulled pork,” Lotgerink Bruinenberg explains.

The positive response to the Extruder has also led FTNON to investigate whether the previous, already installed extruders can be replaced with the new version of the solution.

However, FTNON’s innovations for pet food processors don’t just end with the Extruder. The recently-introduced Double-Steam Inlet, which is located at the entrance of the FTNON Steam Tunnel, is expected to enable customers to make substantial energy savings compared with conventional industry systems.

“The Double Steam Inlet allows processors to create a “heat / hold” principle,” says Lotgerink Bruinenberg. “We anticipate that having more effective steaming at the beginning of the steam chamber will result in up to 15% in steam savings.”