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Abstract

The present invention provides a process that can utilize aqueous sugar-bearing sources, including food commodities, food-processing by-products, fermentation by-products, or other industrial by-products, in the making of a liquid animal feed ingredient that contains sugar and carboxylic acid salt. In general, the process according to the invention comprises mixing: (a) an aqueous sugar-bearing source characterized by having: (i) a total monosaccharide and disaccharide sugar content of at least 5.0 weight percent based on the amount of the aqueous sugar-bearing source, and more preferably, an invert sugar content of at least 5.0 weight percent based on the amount of the aqueous sugar-bearing source; and (ii) a water content of at least 10 weight percent; (b) carboxylic acid having in the range of 1-8 carbon atoms; and (c) inorganic base; wherein the step of mixing the carboxylic acid and the inorganic base is at least partially performed in the presence of the aqueous sugar-bearing source, and wherein the proportions of the aqueous sugar-bearing source, carboxylic acid, and inorganic base are selected such that: (i) the total monosaccharide and disaccharide sugar concentration is at least 3.0 weight percent of the resulting mixture; (ii) the carboxylic acid equivalent concentration is at least 0.5 equivalent per 1,000 g of the resulting mixture; (iii) the pH of the resulting mixture is at least 3.5; and (iv) the viscosity of the resulting mixture is less than about 40,000 centipoise when measured at about room temperature and at about standard atmospheric pressure. The inorganic base at least partially neutralizes the carboxylic acid to form the carboxylic acid salt in the resulting animal feed ingredient and the aqueous sugar-bearing source absorbs at least some of the heat of neutralization.

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First Claim