The global pet food market is rapidly growing and is expected to continue demonstrating consistent growth in the coming years. Wet pet food plays a particularly important role in the expansion of this market. The demand for “real” meat in various forms and colors is increasing.

Selo has developed and provides high-quality equipment for the production of wet pet food. Selo's design ensures the highest quality and maximum efficiency in the production of pet food. With over 75 years of experience in the food industry, hygienic design is a key competence of Selo.

Selo has more than 75 years of experience in the pet food production industry. In the 1980s, Selo developed the first steam tunnel for producing wet pet food. This innovation laid the foundation for significant changes in the industry. It is clear that Selo has continually focused on further developing and innovating the steam tunnel, which has now become the industry standard for wet pet food production.

Selo's steam tunnels are part of the production technology used by well-known global brands, as well as by medium and small companies (startups), for which engineering support is provided.

Over the past 30 years, Selo has become a global leader in "turnkey" systems for the production of wet pet food based on steam tunnel technology. Selo production lines are at the forefront in terms of hygiene, efficiency, cost savings, while maintaining high-quality standards. These 75 years of history and experience provide an ideal foundation for a continuous innovation strategy. Even the smallest improvements can lead to significant advantages.

Selo constantly strives for innovation and improvement in its designs to meet your current and future needs. Selo is always focused on improving the production efficiency of its clients, ensuring consistent product quality, and overall production sustainability.

Meat Preparation

A high-quality product begins with the right recipe and ingredient preparation. A high-quality meat emulsion is an essential part of the production process. This meat emulsion is transported from the emulsifier (part of the main meat process) to the Selo hopper. The hopper functions as a buffer, ensuring a continuous flow to the extruder.

From the hopper, the meat emulsion is delivered to the extruder or spreader. Along the way, necessary color and/or other liquid ingredients can be added using dosing in the line. A metal detector system can be installed if desired. The extruder forms the meat emulsion into regular (or, if needed, irregular) rope shapes, which are placed on the conveyor belt for the steam tunnel.

Steam Tunnel

The size and shape of the rope sausages can be set based on prior settings. Once the ropes are placed on the conveyor, they pass through the steam tunnel for cooking. All settings of the line process, such as speed and temperature, are fully controlled by the recipe to ensure the highest product quality and production efficiency.

The cooked ropes then move to the next stage of the process — the cooling phase. They are cooled and partially dried using cooling fans. This ensures a clean cut during the cutting process. The length of the pieces determines the final shape of the finished product.

Primary Packaging

Depending on the packaging format, a cooling/drying phase may be installed after cutting. This ensures smooth and efficient filling through the multi-weight dosing system. To prevent interruptions in the continuous process during short stops in the packaging process, Selo has developed a buffer system that can store produced pieces until the packaging process resumes.

This ensures the efficiency and quality of the production process and minimizes waste. Selo can provide complete supply systems for transporting the pieces to the packaging station, including buffer systems. In the sauce system, powders are mixed and heated in water. To mix/ dissolve powders “lump-free” in water, Selo has developed a special multi-head dosing system. The produced sauce/jelly is stored in a buffer tank, after which it can be directly fed to the filling and packaging line.

Selo's mixing system in the line can pre-mix pieces and sauce in the desired ratio, allowing for precise one-time filling.

Selo's animal feed lines can be connected to any type of packaging machine, such as pouches (doypacks), cans, or trays. The sterilization process takes place after packaging. Selo can also provide advice on this matter.

Sterilization

The long shelf life of the final product is achieved during the sterilization of the packaged product. For the sterilization process, products are loaded onto trays and placed into a retort, a special pressure-holding device, where the product is brought to the required temperature and pressure for a certain period. During the sterilization process, both bacteria and bacterial spores are eliminated to prevent microbial growth in the final product.

Processing and Final Packaging

After sterilization, at the final packaging stage, the ready products are packed into boxes for display in stores and transportation. This process can be done manually, semi-automatically, or fully automated.

Selo provides not only systems for producing wet pet food but also offers consultation on full factory equipment, from initial meat preparation to sterilization and processing. Of course, Selo lines can be connected to any type of filling and packaging system. Selo can also supply all necessary connecting transportation systems between processing lines and filling and packaging lines.

The STEINER team can support you in designing an optimal production process. In addition to providing equipment, we also offer the following services:

• Comprehensive solutions from the preparation and shaping of pieces to packaging systems.
• Preliminary engineering of the entire plant.
• Power calculation.
• Specification and selection of equipment for all production equipment.
• Communication requirements.
• Plant layout, including communication placement.
• Recipe development.
• Investment budgets.
• Physical-technical justification and cost calculations.
• Product and process optimization.
• Spare parts, after-sales service, and remote support.
• Training on processing, production, and maintenance for your engineers and production line operators.

For more detailed information, contact the technical specialists at STEINER Ukraine the official distributor of Selo in Ukraine – at +380 44 390 73 38.