Baked vs Extruded Pet Food: Which OEM Process Should Your Brand Choose?

Dutch premium pet food brand HenArt recently launched LEVENDO, a baked dog food using Finnish PEKILO mycoprotein — another move in the baked food category. Baked and extruded are the two main dry food OEM processes. The first question many new brand owners ask is: which line should I choose?

Extrusion: The Mainstream Dry Food Process

Extrusion accounts for over 90% of global dry pet food production:

• **Temperature**: 120-160°C high-temperature extrusion
• **Moisture**: Raw material at 15-20% moisture, rapidly dried to under 10% after expansion
• **Equipment**: Twin-screw extruders, high throughput
• **Pros**:
• High capacity, up to tens of tons per day per line
• Low processing cost, a few yuan per kg
• Many shapes (round, bone, triangle)
• Long shelf life, 12-18 months
• **Cons**:
• High heat denatures some vitamins and protein
• Texture is hard; fat spraying is needed for palatability

Baking: The Premium Choice

Baking is a low-temperature slow-roast process:

• **Temperature**: 80-120°C low-temp baking
• **Moisture**: Raw material formed then baked in slow ovens
• **Equipment**: Multi-layer ovens, lower throughput
• **Pros**:
• Better nutrient retention, less vitamin and protein denaturation
• Crispy, biscuit-like texture, not hard
• Less fat added, cleaner ingredient list
• Can achieve high meat content (50%+)
• **Cons**:
• Lower capacity, hundreds of kg to a few tons per day per line
• Processing cost 30-50% higher than extrusion
• Shorter shelf life, usually 6-9 months
• Fewer shape options, mainly flat or small biscuit shapes

Cost and MOQ Comparison

| Dimension | Extruded | Baked |

|-----------|----------|-------|

| Processing fee (per kg) | 3-6 yuan | 8-15 yuan |

| MOQ | 500-1000kg | 300-500kg |

| Sampling fee | Lower | Higher (oven setup) |

| Shelf life | 12-18 months | 6-9 months |

| Capacity | High | Lower |

How Should New Brands Choose?

Choose extrusion if:

• You are making value staple food under 30 yuan/jin
• You need large volume (e-commerce promotions, offline distribution)
• You need long shelf life

Choose baking if:

• You are making premium food above 50 yuan/jin
• Your selling point is "high meat content," "low-temperature baked," "no meat meal"
• Initial order volume is small — test market first
• Your target customers read ingredient labels carefully

Can You Do Both?

Many brands run an "extruded staple + baked premium + freeze-dried treats" product matrix. A co-packer with both extrusion and baking lines can produce multiple categories in one factory, reducing supply chain management overhead.

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Mixiaoqi (Guangzhou) Pet Technology Co., Ltd. operates fresh-steaming, baking and freeze-drying lines in Nansha, Guangzhou, supporting brands in choosing the right process based on positioning, starting from sampling to test market response across categories.

FAQ

**What is the difference between baked and extruded pet food?**

Extruded uses high-temperature extrusion for high volume and low cost with long shelf life. Baked uses low-temperature slow roast for better nutrition and crisp texture, but smaller capacity, higher cost, shorter shelf life.

**What is the MOQ for baked pet food OEM?**

Usually 300-500kg, with sampling runs of 50-100kg. Oven setup costs are higher than extrusion.

**Should a new brand choose baked or extruded?**

Value staple food: extruded. Premium high-meat food: baked. Start with small-batch testing before committing to a main process.