COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — As several events continue to be postponed, moved online or canceled altogether as a result of COVID-19 concerns in the United States, Texas A&M University (TAMU) has announced its fifth annual Extruded Pet Foods and Treats Short Course will be held virtually July 13-16.

The interactive virtual event will be streamed live to train pet food and treat personnel on extrusion principles and characteristics. The short course will also cover current best practices for preparing extruded pet food and treats, as well as introduce participants to practical extrusion aspects for pet food manufacturing applications.

The course will begin Monday, July 13 at 9 a.m. with an introduction to extrusion principles presented by Mian N. Riaz, Ph.D., of TAMU’s Extrusion Technology Program.

Several pet industry leaders will present during the virtual short course, including Galen Rokey, process technology director for Wenger Manufacturing, Inc.’s companion animal division; Sara Cutler, Ph.D., technical services manager at Kemin Nutrisurance; Patrick Burke, president and chief executive officer of Omaha Industries, Inc.; Leah Wilkinson, vice president of public policy and education for the American Feed Industry Association; Jonathan Thorn, executive director of process technology for Schenck Process LLC; and many more.

Topics include an overview of pet food nutrition, raw materials and bulk material handling, pet food additives and colorings, particle size reduction, extrusion hardware and auxiliary equipment, preconditioning technology, in-line analysis and process controls, drying fundamentals, product analysis, shelf life, extrusion maintenance tips, cooling and coating systems, food safety, cutting and sizing, and more.

Registration for the live virtual short course is now open. Visit https://teesedge.tamu.edu/extrusion/pet/ for more details about topics and speakers to be featured in this course.

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