Automated Filling of Viscous and Chunky Snacks for Animals Using ViscoTec Pumps
The pet food industry is booming—with online trade generating nearly €3.5 billion in ready-made pet food sales alone. As consumer demand increases for high-quality snacks with real meat, vegetables, and health supplements, so does the need for precise, flexible, and hygienic dosing and filling technologies.
This is where ViscoTec's progressive cavity pumps—available in the UK from Capri Systec—offer a significant advantage.
From Slurry to Snack: Understanding the Process
Pet snacks like pâtés, jellies, and pastes are no longer just smooth blends—they’re often loaded with:
Real meat chunks (up to 15x15x15 mm)
Vegetable particles
Health-enhancing supplements, such as collagen, peptides, and minerals
Abrasive inclusions like tendons or bone fragments
After ingredients are blended, they're filled into pouches before undergoing pasteurization, which transforms the liquid suspension into a semi-solid, storable snack.
To maintain homogeneity and batch integrity, the dosing system must prevent sedimentation during pauses in the filling cycle—a major challenge when using conventional pumps.
Why Progressive Cavity Pumps Excel
Unlike piston or peristaltic pumps, progressive cavity pumps from ViscoTec are ideal for:
High solids content
Non-homogeneous suspensions
Spreads and slurries prone to separation
The technology relies on an eccentric rotor/stator configuration that moves product smoothly without damaging inclusions or clogging the pump.
✔️ Each rotation dispenses a constant volume, ensuring consistent fills—regardless of chunk size or viscosity.
Smart Features for Industrial Pet Food Production
ViscoTec’s dosing pumps include game-changing capabilities:
Bypass line – Keeps product moving during fill line stoppages, preventing separation
Suck-back function – Eliminates stringing and drips for clean packaging transitions
Easy integration – Compatible with most existing filling lines
FDA-compliant materials – Suitable for food-grade production
Minimal maintenance – Durable and hygienic design
These features support compliance with standards such as the FEDIAF Guide to Good Practice for Pet Food Manufacturing, which emphasizes homogeneity and safe handling.
Efficient. Scalable. Clean.
As production scales from pilot to full operation, flexibility is key. ViscoTec pumps are:
Modular – Adaptable for batch or continuous production
Gentle – Preserve product integrity with no shear or clogging
Repeatable – High dosing precision for portion control and packaging uniformity
With Capri Systec as your UK partner, you gain expert support and seamless system integration for:
Liquid and semi-solid snack production
Standalone stations or full automation
GMP-ready configurations for human or animal food
Need to improve your snack dosing process?
Contact us today