Coated fish feed pellets

Claim 2

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough and applying to the exterior of such preformed pellets settable alginate and gel-setting material for setting the alginate and thereby forming on the preformed pellets a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 3

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, coating the preformed pellets with a coating containing fish oil and alginate, and applying gel-setting material for setting alginate and thereby forming a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 4

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, coating the preformed pellets with a coating containing fish oil and alginate, and applying gel-setting material for setting alginate and thereby forming a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 5

The process defined in claim 2, in which the coating contains fish oil in an amount such that the specific gravity of the feed pellets is less than 1 or slightly greater than 1.

Claim 6

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, and coating the preformed pellets with a coating containing edible aldehyde and alginate for forming a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 7

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, and coating the preformed pellets with a coating containing edible aldehyde and alginate for forming a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 8

The process defined in claim 4, which the edible aldehyde is selected from the group consisting of vanillin, anisaldehyde and butyraldehyde.

Claim 9

The process of making coated marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, and applying to the exterior of such preformed pellets a mixture of alginate and water and an aqueous calcium chloride solution to set the alginate for forming on the preformed pellets a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 10

The process of making coated marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, and applying to the exterior of such preformed pellets a mixture of alginate and water and an aqueous calcium chloride solution to set the alginate for forming on the preformed pellets a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 11

The process of making marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, coating the preformed pellets by applying to the exterior of the preformed pellets settable gel material, and after such settable gel material has thickened applying a further coating containing bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil followed by applying to the surface of the pellets gel-setting material, thereby forming on the preformed pellets a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 12

The process of making marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, coating the preformed pellets by applying to the exterior of the preformed pellets settable gel material, and after such settable gel material has thickened applying a further coating containing bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil followed by applying to the surface of the pellets gel-setting material, thereby forming on the preformed pellets a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 13

Marine animal feed pellets comprising preformed coherent palatable pellets of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, and a coating covering said preformed coherent pellets which coating contains alginate which has been set by gel-setting material and fish oil and provides a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 14

Marine animal feed pellets comprising preformed coherent palatable pellets of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, and a coating covering said preformed coherent pellets which coating contains alginate which has been set by gel-setting material and fish oil and provides a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 15

Marine animal feed pellets comprising coherent bodies composed of a major portion by weight of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, said bodies having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate which has been set by gel-setting material to provide a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 16

Marine animal feed pellets comprising coherent bodies composed of a major portion by weight of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, said bodies having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate which has been set by gel-setting material to provide a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 17

Marine animal feed pellets defined in claim 9, in which the set gel contains oil.

Claim 18

Marine animal feed pellets comprising coherent bodies including settable gel material and a major portion by weight of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, which settable gel material in the outer portion of such bodies has been set by gel-setting material, said coherent bodies having a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 19

Marine animal feed pellets comprising coherent bodies including settable gel material and a major portion by weight of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, which settable gel material in the outer portion of such bodies has been set by gel-setting material, said coherent bodies having a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 20

Marine animal feed pellets comprising coherent bodies including a major portion by weight of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with outer portions containing a gel which has been set by get-setting material and fish oil, said coherent bodies having a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 21

Marine animal feed pellets comprising coherent bodies including a major portion by weight of nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with outer portions containing a gel which has been set by get-setting material and fish oil, said coherent bodies having a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 22

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate, and setting alginate by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 23

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate, and setting alginate by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 24

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprise mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate, and applying gel-setting material to the exterior of the pellets for setting alginate in the outer portion of the pellets and thereby forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 25

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprise mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate, and applying gel-setting material to the exterior of the pellets for setting alginate in the outer portion of the pellets and thereby forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 26

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour and settable alginate with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets from such dough, and applying gel-setting material to the exterior of the pellets for setting alginate in the outer portion of the pellets and thereby forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 27

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour and settable alginate with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets from such dough, and applying gel-setting material to the exterior of the pellets for setting alginate in the outer portion of the pellets and thereby forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 28

The process of feeding marine animals with palatable feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate, setting the settable alginate by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water, and supplying such feed pellets to a body of water containing marine animals.

Claim 29

The process of feeding marine animals with palatable feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable alginate, setting the settable alginate by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water, and supplying such feed pellets to a body of water containing marine animals.

Claim 30

The process of feeding marine animals with palatable feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable gel material, setting the settable gel material by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water, and supplying such feed pellets to a body of water containing marine animals.

Claim 31

The process of feeding marine animals with palatable feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable gel material, setting the settable gel material by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water, and supplying such feed pellets to a body of water containing marine animals.

Claim 32

The process of making marine animal feed which comprises forming pellets of feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, coating the pellets with settable alginate, and setting the alginate by applying gel-setting material to the pellets to form a coating on the pellets by contacting the alginate with setting material.

Claim 33

The process of making marine animal feed which comprises forming pellets of feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, coating the pellets with settable alginate, and setting the alginate by applying gel-setting material to the pellets to form a coating on the pellets by contacting the alginate with setting material.

Claim 34

The process defined in claim 18, including providing oil in the coating.

Claim 35

Marine animal feed pellets comprising nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, having an exterior containing settable gel material which has been set by gel-setting material and a coating containing bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil, and having a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 36

Marine animal feed pellets comprising nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, having an exterior containing settable gel material which has been set by gel-setting material and a coating containing bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil, and having a firm surface that is soft and flexible and which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water.

Claim 37

Marine animal feed pellets comprising nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, having an exterior containing settable gel material which has been set by gel-setting material, bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil.

Claim 38

Marine animal feed pellets comprising nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour, having an exterior containing settable gel material which has been set by gel-setting material, bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil.

Claim 39

The process of making marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, coating the preformed pellets by applying to the exterior of the preformed pellets settable gel material, and after such settable gel material has thickened applying a further coating containing bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil followed by applying to the surface of the pellets gel-setting material.

Claim 40

The process of making marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing nonalgin feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, forming preformed coherent pellets of the feed material dough, coating the preformed pellets by applying to the exterior of the preformed pellets settable gel material, and after such settable gel material has thickened applying a further coating containing bentonite, ammonium hydroxide and oil followed by applying to the surface of the pellets gel-setting material.

Claim 41

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable algin gel material, setting algin gel matrial by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water and which is permeable by vapor produced within the pellets but substantially impermeable by water from the exterior of the pellets, and drying the pellets and thereby removing water vapor from the interior of the pellets for reducing the specific gravity of the pellets.

Claim 42

The process of making palatable marine animal feed pellets which comprises mixing feed material principally in the form of meal or flour with water into a dough, at least a major portion of which feed material is of nonalgin type, forming coherent pellets of the feed material dough having, at least in their outer portions, settable algin gel material, setting algin gel matrial by applying gel-setting material to the pellets for forming a firm pellet surface that is soft and flexible which will not readily disintegrate either when dry or in water and which is permeable by vapor produced within the pellets but substantially impermeable by water from the exterior of the pellets, and drying the pellets and thereby removing water vapor from the interior of the pellets for reducing the specific gravity of the pellets.

Claim 43

The process defined in claim 23, which comprises, after forming the coherent pellets of the feed material dough, applying settable algin gel material to the pellets by coating their outer portions with algin gel material and setting such algin gel material by thereafter applying gel-setting material to the surface of the pellets.

Claim 44

The process defined in claim 23, including heating the pellets for vaporizing water in their interior for expulsion through the set algin material of the pellet surface.