Processing Conditions on Pet Food Texture
All pet food, whether canned, dry, baked, or soft-moist, goes through a cook process that includes several inputs such as moisture, temperature, time, and ingredient variability. Ingredient factors, such as particle size or percentage of fat and fiber, can affect the processing characteristics of that ingredient.
For example, the particle size of an ingredient or recipe can affect the moisture uptake and gelatinization during extrusion. These, in turn, can affect density and porosity, and how well fat is absorbed. The other inputs of time and temperature also have their influence which when combined into the big picture form a product with its own unique texture. Density, in particular, is a major palatability driver for cats. Although the exact reason is unknown, a generally accepted theory is that cats prefer lower bulk density kibble due to the ease of fracturing a kibble into smaller pieces.