The pet food market (Petfood) is going through a large-scale transformation. Modern cat and dog owners increasingly treat their pets as members of the family, which has created steady demand for premium, natural and “gourmet” diets.
Uniform pâtés are being replaced by complex textures: chunks in gravy or jelly, meat stews with visible fibres, soups and pastes with added vegetables.
For technologists and engineers this trend has become a serious challenge. Working with viscous, sticky and non-uniform masses is accompanied by the risks of lines clogging, dosing accuracy being disrupted and lengthy equipment downtime.
How can the dosing and packaging processes be modernised so as to preserve the attractive texture of the product and ensure maximum line efficiency? Let us look into the engineering details.
Why do classic solutions fail when faced with “premium textures”?
Most traditional dosing systems are designed to work with homogeneous media or low-viscosity liquids. When a new generation of wet petfood enters the line, manufacturers face three main problems:
- The effect of the mass “separating”: During conveying and dosing, the pieces of meat may separate from the liquid base (gravy or jelly). As a result, some packs receive nothing but broth, while others receive an excessively dense mass.
- High adhesion (stickiness): Meat mince and sauces thickened with starch or hydrocolloids literally “build up” on the inner walls of hoppers and pipelines and on the dosing nozzles.
- Blockage of valves: Large inclusions (for example, pieces of heart, liver or pressed meat granules) become stuck in the seats of standard valves, which leads to gravy leaking and loss of dose tightness.
The engineering approach: how to avoid lines clogging and optimise dosing
For the line to run like clockwork and for the product in the pouch or can to look appetising, specialised technological solutions have to be implemented.
1. The right choice of pumping equipment
Standard centrifugal pumps are categorically unsuitable for pumping viscous masses with inclusions — they simply turn the pieces of meat into a uniform purée.
- Lobe (rotary) pumps: Thanks to their large working chambers they move the pieces gently without damaging them.
- Screw (progressive cavity) pumps: They deliver a smooth, pulsation-free flow, which is critically important for precise dose cut-off. They effectively «push through» ultra-viscous pastes.
2. Two-component (separate) dosing systems
The most advanced method for stews and chunks in gravy is separate filling of the pack:
- Step 1: A multihead weighing dispenser (in a special design for sticky products, with grooved auger and hopper surfaces) counts out an exact portion of dry or wet meat chunks directly into the pouch.
- Step 2: A jet or piston filler pours hot sauce or jelly into the same pouch.
- Result: A perfect ratio of components in every pack and the complete absence of any clogging risk, since the solid and liquid phases are not mixed in advance in a common pipeline.
3. Nozzles with the “Clean Cut” function and product suck-back
Drops of viscous sauce left on the tip of the dosing nozzle are the main cause of contamination of the pouch sealing area. If sauce gets onto the seam, the pack will be rejected (its tightness will be compromised during sterilisation in the autoclave).
Solution: The use of special nozzles with pneumatic cut-off or «vacuum back» systems (drawing the remaining product back into the nozzle at the moment the dosing cycle ends).
4. Optimising hopper geometry and auger feeding
To avoid the formation of «bridging blockages» (when the viscous mass hangs above the hopper outlet), the vessels receiving the raw material must be equipped with:
- Asymmetric walls for correct distribution of the pressure of the mass.
- Low-speed paddle agitators that break up bridges.
- Screw feeders that forcibly push the non-homogeneous mass into the dosing zone.
Packaging: integration and protection in the high-load zone
Once the product has been dosed correctly, the task of the automatic packaging line is to seal it instantly and reliably. Since Petfood is produced at a high rate, packaging machines have to meet strict criteria:
- Hygienic design (Washdown): The equipment must have a protection rating of at least IP65/IP69K in order to withstand daily aggressive washing with hot water under pressure using chemical solutions (CIP procedures).
- Ultrasonic seam sealing (as an option): Ultrasound is able to «punch through» small particles of product or fat that have accidentally got into the seam area, guaranteeing 100% tightness of the pack, unlike classic heat-sealing jaws.
Economic effect: what does the manufacturer gain?
Upgrading a line for complex feed textures is not merely a tribute to fashion, but has a direct impact on the P&L (profit and loss) of the enterprise:
| Problem on the old line | Technological solution from Steiner | Economic effect |
| Rejects due to leaking seams | Nozzles with cut-off + monitoring of the sealing zone | Reduction of the reject rate to <0.1% |
| Downtime due to line clogging | Lobe pumps + bridge-breaking augers | Increase in OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) by 15–20% |
| Overconsumption of expensive raw materials | High-precision dispensers for viscous media | Savings of up to 2-3% of meat raw material thanks to accuracy |
The Petfood market in 2026 does not forgive compromises on quality. Attempts to adapt outdated equipment to new complex recipes inevitably lead to financial losses, service crises and a fall in consumer loyalty.
A comprehensive approach — from the correct selection of gentle rotary pumps to the introduction of separate dosing of components — makes it possible to turn work with complex textures into a stable, predictable and highly profitable process.
The experts of the company Steiner Ukraine are ready to carry out a technological audit of your production and to select optimal solutions for dosing and packaging even the most complex products. Contact us for a consultation.
