Water plasticization of extruded material made from meat and bone meal and sodium caseinate

Meat and bone meal (MBM) is a high protein agricultural commodity that currently has few applications other than as an animal feed. Unmodified MBM has poor functional properties, due to its low solubility. Our results from pilot plant trials demonstrate that MBM can be extrusion-processed along with sodium caseinate to produce a useful plastic material. We developed this material for use as a dog chew toy. For this application, elastic modulus (stiffness) is a key characteristic. Our results detail the relationship between ambient relative humidity and equilibrium moisture content (MC) in the material. The influence of MC on the glass transition temperature and elastic modulus reflects the plasticization of this material by water. On the basis of a comparison to a commercially available dog chew, the range of stiffness achievable with our material, 0.25-2.50 GPa, encompasses the values appropriate for a dog chew. Our results show that a particular desired stiffness can be maintained by applying an edible moisture barrier to the surface of the material.