Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Trueleaf Petcare Inc. (Trueleaf) produces a range of innovative natural wellness products that improve pet's physical and mental well-being. This applied research project will focus on the development of this novel pet chew coating. Current chews produced by Trueleaf are manufactured by extrusion and include all active ingredients within the treats. While best efforts are made to maintain processing temperatures as low as possible to avoid degradation of actives, Trueleaf has observed that loss of active ingredients does occur. Trueleaf envisions the manufacturing of a common soft-chew base formula that can be used for multiple products by customizing with a proprietary coatings, containing the active ingredients for the particular product (for example, turmeric root extract for Trueleaf Hip + Joint support, or L-Theanine for Trueleaf Calming support). This project will involve the development of the natural self-setting coat, meeting all critical parameters mentioned above. The foundational basis of knowledge for this phase is derived from new developments in the edible coatings of food products. This method has been used to preserve food commodities from as early as the twelfth century, and recently, edible coatings have included different edible herbs, antimicrobial agents, and botanical extracts. There are three main classifications of edible coatings, polysaccharide-based, protein-based, and lipid-based. When combining more than one material or classification of coating, the coating can be classified as a composite. This applied research project will focus on polysaccharide-based and lipid-based coatings. The critical parameters for the success of this innovative strategy is the development of a proprietary coating with the following attributes: • Ability to carry all active ingredients (including solids, water and oil soluble actives). • Only natural, human-grade ingredients, preferably of plant origin. • The coating must be shelf stable and maintain the chew form/integrity. • Most importantly, the coating must be self-setting and maintain actives with minimal degradation.