Premier Pet Nutrition (PPN), part of the ABF plc group, invited  2012 INTERZOO attendees to test their pet food “live” using Bruker’s Tango in their booth, in Nurnberg, Germany.

The Tango produced simultaneous results for fat, protein, moisture, fiber, ash and cook values in seconds. After the tests were completed, the Tango printed a Certificate of Analysis right at the booth.

As part of its complete nutrition package for pet food manufacturers, PPN offers their customers NIR calibrations. Cook value is the newest calibration developed.

“Current methods for cook value involve wet chemistry and external analysis can take up to 5 days to produce a result. We developed the NIR Cook Value calibration as a tool that our pet premix customers can use to confirm the cook value of their extruded pet food,” says Ben Helm, PPN commercial manager. “Cook value affects the digestibility and palatability of a pet food and also helps to optimize the energy used during extrusion. Real time results make it possible to monitor exactly when the desired cook value is achieved, and to make immediate adjustments when required—efficiently producing a better quality pet food.”