March is a great time of year, as the weather is changing and pet owners are getting out and about on walks and exploring the world. This was exceptionally fun when a new pet joins the family. Reviewing this addition we see a variety of developments in different areas from possible regulations on a USA national level through discussions on new ingredients which seem to take center stage recently. Ingredients being the most expensive part of petfood production justify a review to keep costs in line. However, a survey somewhat tells a different story.
Pet owners 2500 strong in US, China, Brazil, UK and Germany were in a survey where the results show that gut health and vegetable diets were desired for the pets benefit as well as for the environment. This review points to the strength of the pet/owner bond and the strong belief to care for our pets. The industry backs these trends up with unending varieties of pet foods for every aspect of their lives. Further to the delight of pet owners is the announcement by the Petfood Institute that it supports new legislation on streamlining and modernizing petfood regulations.
With all the new and novel ingredients and claims by manufacturers it seems obvious that some sort of definitions and confirmation process is needed for consumer confidence with regards to the variety of claims made on marketed petfoods. The legislation should include definitions of what is, premium, super premium and all the other slick titles seen on packages. Having sold and seen what in my mind is required equipment for production of premium and super premium petfoods, there should be a verification process for these claims. OK, years ago this discussion would have centered on inclusion of meat and fats in the kibble mainly. Nowadays this would need to be expanded to include for vegetables, insects, and many other highly discussed novel ingredients. Just stating the product has 25 percent fresh meat is not enough to qualify for super premium as an example. What cuts, fat content, moisture level and other criteria should be specified. Exacting terms are needed so everyone can determine what is in these petfoods. If the legislature does not get it right then there is room for confusion on what the customer is receiving.
An article included in this issue by Biorigin states, “The most frequently used natural flavour enhancers are yeasts, essential oils, fats, vegetable oils, organic acids, spraydried animal plasma, protein hydrolyzate, distillates, or food roasting and heating.” This is an interesting statement when viewed from a position of what was done years ago as well as currently in petfood formulas. Oils, fats, digests and organic acids were used for years. At one point there were many semi-moist petfoods which offered a softer texture but included propylene glycol and phosphoric acid to control the water activity but pets found it attractive in taste as well. No doubt spray dried blood meal and protein hydrolysed ingredients would be an attractant. Roasted and heating relate to the theory that the mallard reaction which can occur in an extruder did yield a flavor cats preferred, a toasted flavour. Industries which now exist such as ethanol production and others has created an abundance of available yeast. Who doesn’t love the smell and taste of freshly made bread produced with yeast? No doubt many of us do and our pets like yeasts as well.
Biorigin summarised the four factors of palatability as “perception, texture, odor and flavor”. Having been in a position to assist in making test batches for palatability testing the odor element was paramount as testing included which bowl was most attractive and how much was eaten. The idea was to produce a petfood that was desired more than your competitions product. Not only was what you added important but also the quality of the ingredients. Off flavors such as rancidity as well as smells associated with decaying materials can turn off the desire to consume by the pet.
Jennifer Adolphe, Pet Technical Services Manager, ADM, USA reports on testing of black solider fly larvae comparing with other main petfood ingredients to see their acceptance. Interesting work conducted at the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois. It is starting to soak in that insect meals are here to stay as a source of protein in petfoods. Having been extremely suspect of this fact it must be admitted that over the years my dogs used to chase down flies, worms and other moving insects and devour them upon capture, just not ready for my plate yet!
Niamh Cassidy does a great job highlighting yeast from the ethanol industry which might be a mystery to some of us up until now. It is also noteworthy that byproducts from ethanol plants where rice, sugarcane and corn are used to produce ethanol can in fact yield byproducts when inoculated with bacteria that grow and when harvested offer up a protein source that is much like animal and aquatic proteins. The tip of the iceberg has just been touched as we will see many developments which improve sustainability with new and unique ingredients and protein sources.
This Editorial was published for the March edition of International Petfood Magazine.
