Patent ID: 8257775

Claim:
A method for forming an edible animal chew toy or pet treat comprising: combining resin, a plasticizer and textured vegetable protein to form a mixture, wherein the resin comprises starch, and wherein the textured vegetable protein is present at a level of equal to or greater than 60% by weight of said mixture, and wherein said textured vegetable protein comprises fibrous structure material having a length dimension, a width and thickness dimension where said length dimension exceeds said width and thickness dimension, and wherein said textured vegetable protein contains crude protein, dietary fiber and carbohydrates, and wherein the textured vegetable protein is at least 50% crude protein; and introducing said mixture to a heated molding machine and molding and cooling said mixture to form said chew toy or pet treat wherein said plasticizer content of said chew toy is less than or equal to 40% by weight and wherein said textured vegetable protein is uniformly distributed in said molded chew toy; and wherein the animal chew toy or pet treat is gluten free and injection molded.