Kemin Industries Inc. and American Dehydrated Foods Inc. have reached an acquisition agreement that allows Kemin to purchase property, equipment and assets related to ADF’s spray drying technology for petfood products. The transaction is expected to close on June 30.

Cargill was granted a US patent for the exclusive cooking process it developed for making its Loyall premium petfood. Cargill's Opti-Cook process, for which the patent was granted, works by using a combined steam and pressure cooking system and Near-Infrared Reflective Spectroscopy technology.  

Researchers at the Animal Nutrition Group of Wageningen University in the Netherlands studied the effects of petfood drying temperature and time on the food's physical and nutritional quality indicators. The researchers conducted two factorial experiments, using four temperatures and two durations, to test the effects of drying variables on extruded canine diets produced using a 4 mm and 8 mm die.

Wenger Manufacturing will offer two Pet Food Processing Technology Seminars in September for plant managers, operations and maintenance personnel, and engineers in the petfood industry. The first course, Pet Food Processing Technology Seminar, will be held from September 13-15.

Universal Pasteurization Co. recently opened in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA,  and will hold a day-long workshop here on May 10 to introduce its high pressure processing capabilities. The company says Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman will make an appearance at the workshop to mark the expansion of this home-grown small business, established by the founders of Universal Cold Storage.

Buhler Technology Group reported profitable growth for its business in fiscal 2010. The company reported a 21% increase in order intake to CHF 2,160 million (US$2.38 billion), 11% increase in sales revenue to CHF 1,907 million (US$2.1 billion), and increased operating profits (EBIT) at a higher-than-proportional rate to 10.6% of total sales.  

Animalzone launched a non-extruded parrot food in the UK that is manufactured with a unique roasting process, according to the company's marketing director, Richard Davies. First, fresh grains are put through a roasting process that exposes them to a temperature of 184 C (363.2 F) for fifteen minutes.

Wenger Manufacturing announced the expansion of its dryer production facility in Sabetha, Kansas, USA by 45,000 square feet and increased production capacity by nearly 50%. The decision to enlarge the facility was determined by the backlog from increased demand for Wenger dryers.

The International Grains Program at Kansas State University will hold an extrusion processing short course from Aug. 9-12, at the IGP Conference Center. The course is geared toward technical and managerial personnel in the petfood, feed and ingredient industries.