A Professional Tofu Cat Litter Manufacturer Deconstructs the Standard Production Process and Quality Standards of Plant Cat Litter

فضلات القطط التوفو is a kind of plant cat litter with a wide audience in the current market. However, many users feedback that the products are dusty, easy to rot, with long-lasting odor, and will not form when it meets water. These problems are directly related to the selection of raw materials in Otawa and the standardized production process in the factory. Many cat owners can only see the use effect of finished products. It is not clear how many rigorous processes a qualified tofu cat litter manufacturer needs to execute, and they don’t know how to distinguish the quality of products from the production logic.

As a professional tofu cat litter manufacturer, we understand that navigating these market options can be difficult. Based on the general production standards of the industry and the production system of the large-scale source factory, this paper comprehensively dismantled the complete process of tofu cat litter from raw material screening, high-temperature processing, multiple quality inspection to storage and shipment, and at the same time, combined with practical purchasing skills, taking into account the popular science needs of ordinary shovel officials and the strength reference of overseas buyers’ factories, objectively explained the core knowledge of plant-based cat litter.

First: The core raw materials of tofu cat litter, popular science, and the screening criteria of raw materials of large factories

Tofu cat litter belongs to plant-shaped cat litter, and its core raw materials are mainly food-grade soybean meal, bean dregs, corn starch, wheat fiber and other crop by-products. Natural plant material is its core feature different from mineral sand, and the grade of raw materials directly determines the four core properties of finished products, such as dust, hardness, water absorption and bacteriostasis. In order to reduce the production cost, small-scale processing workshops will use expired moldy crops, inferior feed wastes and industrial scraps as raw materials, eliminating multiple purification, mildew removal and sorting processes, and the finished products are prone to problems such as sour and rancid smell, mold growth and dust all over the sky.

A large-scale tofu cat litter manufacturer with stable mass supply capacity will establish a complete raw material acceptance system, and all plant raw materials will be subject to triple screening standards before entering the factory:

• Priority 1 (Manual Sorting): The staff manually sorts the appearance, removing moldy, caked, moth-eaten, rotten and deteriorated raw materials to prevent pollution sources from entering the production line.
• Priority 2 (Laboratory Sampling Test): The lab tests key indicators such as moisture content of raw materials, total number of molds, aflatoxin and impurity proportion. Once the value exceeds the safety standard, the whole batch of raw materials will be returned directly, and it is forbidden to put into processing.
• Priority 3 (Classified Area Storage): Different kinds of plant raw materials are stored separately in a constant temperature and ventilation warehouse, and the humidity and temperature of the warehouse are controlled to prevent raw materials from being fermented by moisture and breeding peculiar smell during stacking.

There are obvious differences in the proportion of raw materials in different formulas of tofu cat litter. The original tofu cat litter is made of pure bean dregs and soybean meal as the main raw materials, and starch is only used as an adhesive.

The advantage is that it has a light smell and will not stimulate the cat’s sensitive sense of smell. Fruit-flavored and milk-flavored tofu cat litter will be added with natural plant extract essence, and industrial chemicals will be rejected throughout the process; The mixed fiber model will be matched with a small amount of corn and straw fiber, and the particle hardness will be adjusted to adapt to the scene of a large number of urination in a multi-cat family.

In order to reduce the cost, regular factories will not greatly reduce the proportion of soybean meal and add a lot of cheap straw powder. This kind of Jerry-made raw material ratio will directly lead to the rapid softening and disintegration of finished products when they meet water.

Plant raw materials naturally contain trace microorganisms, which is also an essential reason for the pretreatment process of raw materials. High-quality factories will dry and sterilize the whole batch of raw materials at low temperature before crushing, so as to reduce the moisture content of raw materials, kill eggs and molds attached to the surface of crops, and reduce the probability of bacterial reproduction during the storage and use of finished products from the source. This is a key step that is generally omitted in small workshops.

Second: Standardized fully automatic production line and complete processing procedure of tofu cat litter

A number of independent automatic production lines will be built in the large-scale factory area, and the whole processing flow does not need a lot of manual intervention. The unified equipment parameters ensure the quality of each batch of products to be stable, and there will be no excessive difference in hardness, dust and water absorption between the previous batches. As an established tofu cat litter manufacturer, our complete processing flow is divided into six core links, and each step has corresponding equipment control and semi-finished product sampling inspection:

1. Fine grinding and mixing process

After drying and sterilization, the clean raw materials are transported to the closed crushing equipment, and the large pieces of soybean meal and bean dregs are ground into fine and uniform plant powder. The closed crushing cabin can firmly lock the dust and avoid the dust from overflowing during the processing.

After the grinding is completed, all kinds of powders are automatically mixed according to the fixed formula ratio, and the machine is fully stirred and mixed to ensure that each raw material is evenly mixed, so that there will be no local over-starch and less soybean meal. The whole crushing and mixing equipment is closed, which can not only control the dust in the production workshop, but also prevent the external dust and sundries from polluting the raw materials.

2. High pressure steam curing treatment

The mixed powder enters the steam curing equipment, and the plant powder is fully cooked by high-temperature and high-pressure steam to make the starch components fully gelatinized. This step is the core to determine the compactness of tofu sand particles. When the powder is not fully matured, the particles are loose after molding, and a large amount of slag dust will be produced when the cat is slightly scratched; Over-ripening will make the finished particles brittle and melt and collapse quickly when exposed to water.

The automatic production line will accurately control the steam temperature and cooking time, adjust the parameters in real time according to different formulas, and set exclusive curing standards for original flavor, fragrance and mixed fiber respectively.

3. High-pressure extrusion molding process

The cured soft powder is conveyed to an extrusion molding machine through a pipeline. The equipment extrudes the raw materials into strip-shaped particles by high pressure, and the diameter of the die is uniformly controlled. The mainstream tofu cat litter in the market is divided into two specifications: thin strips and thick strips. The thin strips are soft to the touch and suitable for young cats and elderly cats, and the thick strips are harder, which is suitable for adult cats and multi-cat families with large urination. The granules just produced by molding have high temperature, high water content and soft texture, so they cannot be directly packaged and need to enter the next air drying process.

4. Multi-stage constant temperature air drying and dehumidification

The freshly formed strip-shaped particles are conveyed to the ultra-long drying line in a flat way, and air-dried in three stages with gradient temperature control, so as to gradually reduce the moisture content inside the particles.

• Stage 1: Surface moisture is evaporated at low temperature.
• Stage 2: Deep moisture of particles is removed in the middle temperature zone.
• Stage 3: Moisture content of finished products is accurately controlled in the optimal range of the industry.

If you only do a single high-temperature drying, the inside and outside of the particles are uneven, and it is easy to absorb moisture and become soft, sour and moldy after storage for a period of time; Gradient air drying technology is the key technology of low loss and long-term preservation in large factories.

5. Dust cooling and screening finishing

After drying, the high-temperature particles first enter the closed cooling chamber to naturally cool down, and at the same time, with negative pressure dust removal equipment, the free fine powder on the particle surface is sucked away, which greatly reduces the dust of finished products. After cooling, it enters a multi-layer vibration screening machine to screen out fine slag, excessively long irregular particles and caked defective products. Only qualified particles with uniform size and no broken strips enter the next process, and the screened residual materials are uniformly recycled for secondary processing, not directly discarded, so as to reasonably control the loss of raw materials and ensure the utilization rate of production capacity.

6. Flavor reconciliation and temporary storage of finished products

For bean curd cat litter with natural light fragrance, the qualified particles will be added with plant extract fragrance in the closed blending bin, and the fragrance will be rolled evenly at low temperature, and no irritating industrial essence will be used in the whole process; The original version directly skips the flavoring step. After blending, the finished products are temporarily stored in a sealed dust-free bin, waiting for the finished products to be tested before leaving the factory, and will not be packaged directly, so that sufficient quality inspection buffer time is reserved.

The synchronous operation of multiple production lines can support stable mass production, meet the needs of customers all over the world for mass purchase and customized OEM. The factory is equipped with independent power distribution, dust removal and sewage treatment systems, and the whole production process meets the environmental protection production standards, and there is no excess waste gas and waste pollution during the processing.

Third: The multi-level and full-process quality control system keeps the bottom line of product safety

Pet products are in direct contact with cats’ skin and respiratory tract, and safety is the insurmountable bottom line of production. With more than 20 years of industrial production experience, our factory system has established a three-layer quality inspection system covering raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products, and an independent professional testing laboratory has been set up, equipped with complete testing equipment, and every link is sampled and tested to prevent unqualified products from flowing into warehousing and shipping links.

The first floor: raw materials entering the factory for inspection.

After the raw materials of each truck arrive at the factory, the quality inspectors randomly sample at multiple points to detect the four indicators of raw materials, such as mold, heavy metals, impurities and moisture content, and keep sample files to record the origin, arrival time and testing data, so as to realize the traceability of raw materials throughout the process, and directly isolate and return unqualified raw materials.

The second floor: inspection of semi-finished products of production line.

Quality control personnel patrol the production lines every half hour, randomly intercept samples of semi-finished products after curing, molding and drying, and test particle hardness, dust content and water absorption speed on site. Once the parameters are found to deviate from the standard, they will immediately notify the workshop to adjust the equipment to avoid batch defective products.

The third floor: Full-dimensional sampling inspection of finished products.

After the finished product was temporarily stored in the silo, the laboratory carried out a complete simulated home use test, and simulated the cat urine to test the clumping speed, clumping compactness and water seepage. Store in a closed container for 72 hours to observe whether fermentation is sour and mold grows; Dust simulation sand scraping test to detect the degree of dust; At the same time, microbial tests confirmed that no harmful flora exceeded the standard. All the test items are up to standard, and the finished products can be transported to the storage area. The unqualified finished products will be recycled and reworked, and will not flow into the market.

Many small processing workshops completely omit the simulated use test of finished products, and simply screen the particles with naked eyes, so it is impossible to predict in advance the deterioration and fragmentation of products after long-term use and storage in humid environment, which is also the core reason for the frequent trampling of low-priced tofu cat litter. Perfect quality control process is the most intuitive standard to distinguish standardized products from inferior products in small workshops.

Fourth: Standardize storage management to ensure the long-term stable quality of tofu cat litter

Tofu cat litter is made of plant material, which is more susceptible to environmental humidity than mineral sand. The storage environment directly determines the storage shelf life of finished products after leaving the warehouse. Large-scale factory planning large-scale partitioned constant-temperature storage warehouses adapts to stable large-scale production capacity every year, and realizes integrated closed-loop management of production, storage and shipment.

The interior of the warehouse is divided into independent raw material storage area, semi-finished product temporary storage area and finished product storage area. Different types of tofu cat litter are placed in different areas, and the original flavor and light fragrance are stored separately to avoid odor.

The warehouse is equipped with intelligent constant temperature and humidity system, which can control indoor humidity and temperature for 24 hours, isolate outdoor humid air, and prevent plant particles from absorbing moisture, softening and fermenting. The ground of the warehouse is treated with moisture-proof hardening, the finished products are uniformly stacked in different areas, the batch information is clearly distinguished, and the principle of first-in first-out is followed when leaving the warehouse to ensure that customers receive fresh products produced recently.

The spacious factory area can park multiple freight vehicles at the same time, and the loading and delivery process is efficient and smooth. Sufficient storage and stocking can easily cope with peak season orders and overseas large-scale export orders, stabilize the delivery cycle, avoid the problems of out-of-stock and delayed delivery, and continue to provide stable supply support for buyers around the world.

Fifth: The source factory customized OEM services to meet the needs of multiple markets

Relying on a mature automated production line, a perfect quality control laboratory, sufficient storage, and a stable annual production capacity of hundreds of thousands of tons, a leading tofu cat litter manufacturer provides full-process OEM and ODM customized services to cooperative customers around the world. The factory can adjust the product parameters of tofu cat litter according to different regional markets and customer orientation to create differentiated exclusive products.

• Formula Customization: It supports customer customization, and can adjust the ratio of soybean meal, starch and plant fiber, and customize various formulas such as low-dust, strong-caking, low-odor kitten-specific, multi-cat super-absorbent and natural light fragrance.
• Physical Specifications: Particle size can be freely selected in thin and thick strips; At the same time, it supports the adjustment of product hardness, water absorption speed and agglomeration compactness to meet the needs of different climatic environments in wet and rainy areas and dry inland areas.

One-stop service is provided for the whole process, from the communication of customer’s formula requirements in the early stage, the debugging of laboratory samples, the confirmation of sample delivery, to the medium-term batch standardized production, the whole process of quality control follow-up, the later stage of stable storage and batch shipment docking, and the whole process of docking and follow-up by special personnel.

Over the years, we have continued to provide OEM production for all kinds of pet channel merchants at home and abroad, using standardized raw materials, production lines and quality inspection standards in the factory. The customized products are completely consistent with the quality standards of the factory’s own tested products, and the quality is stable and unified.

Sixth: Combined with the production process, shovel officer practical tofu cat litter to buy popular science

After understanding the complete production process of the factory, 90% of inferior products can be quickly avoided by daily purchasing tofu cat litter, and the quality of products can be simply distinguished from four dimensions:

1. Observe the dust level: Gently grasp the rubbing particles, if a large amount of fine powder falls, it means that the factory lacks multi-stage dust removal and screening procedures, and the raw material crushing and drying processes are simplified, which will stimulate the cat’s respiratory tract for long-term use; There is almost no floating dust when kneading high-quality products.

2. Test the agglomeration performance when meeting water: Drop a small amount of clear water above the granules, and the bean curd sand with high-quality curing technology will quickly gather to form a compact lump, and the lump will be intact and will not collapse; Inferior products are directly soft and rotten when exposed to water, and it is impossible to scoop up a complete urine ball.

3. Smell the smell to distinguish the quality of raw materials: Only faint natural bean products and mild plants are qualified products; If the pungent sour smell and strong industrial essence smell mean that the raw materials are mildewed or a large number of cheap fragrances are added, the pretreatment and sterilization processes of raw materials in the factory are missing.

4. Observe the particle integrity: After pouring out, the proportion of broken strips and powder is high, which shows that the screening and dressing process is simplified, the raw material ratio is cut corners, the use loss is high, the replacement frequency is faster, and the long-term use cost performance is extremely low.

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