18: Ingredients in Pet Foods

Question 1

Dogs and cats have demonstrated a requirement for __________________ but not a requirement for ________________. Why does this matter?

Answer 1

Requirement for specific nutrients, not specific ingredients

Focus on nutrients; ingredients are there to meet nutrient requirements

Question 2

What might be an important reason to investigate the ingredient composition of pet food?

Answer 2

Ingredients provide nutrients but also functionality (gut health, skeletal health)

Bioavailability

Question 3

Nutrient characteristics

Answer 3

• Total content known
• Bioavailability generally poorly described (use swine database)

Question 4

Slide 6

Answer 4

Diagram

Question 5

Range of quality among feedstuffs of animal origin

Answer 5

Ranging from meat (high price and value) to co-products from slaughter plants (low price and low value)

Quality from our perspective does not equal nutrition quality for pet

Question 6

Overall concerns for feedstuffs of animal origin? Plant origin?

Answer 6

Animal = food safety (bacteria)

Plant = protein quality, factors in the ingredients that affect protein, digestibility/availability

Question 7

What is brewers rice and why might it be included as an ingredient? What is a concern?

Answer 7

Fermented co-product of rice from manufacturers of wort or beer
High in CP, ADF

Concern is mycotoxins

Question 8

What are lentils? Why is it added to feed? What is a concern?

Answer 8

Pulse crop

Added as a source of CP, starch

Anti-nutritional factors are a concern

Question 9

What are pulses? Examples other than lentils?

Answer 9

Non-oilseed legumes

Kidney beans, chickpeas

Question 10

Two types of starch and difference in digestion

Answer 10

Amylose (slow digestion)

Amylopectin (fast digestion)

Can change rate of digestion by changing amount of amylose vs amylopectin

Question 11

Processing of starch

Answer 11

High moisture and temp
Gelatinization and retrogradation

Question 12

Slide 13

Answer 12

Kinetics of starch digestion

Question 13

What is poultry by-product meal? Why included it in the diet? Concern?

Answer 13

The ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry (neck, feet, undeveloped eggs, intestines)

High in CP, some fat

Concern is food safety, variability

Question 14

Slide 15

Answer 14

Protein damage?

Question 15

What is fish meal? Benefits? Concern

Answer 15

Clean, dried, ground tissue of whole fish or fish cuttings

High quality protein (high digestibility, ideal aa profile) and high CP content

Concern is sustainability

Question 16

What is powdered egg albumin? Why use it? Concern?

Answer 16

Egg waste comes from egg processing facilities

Very high quality protein source, no fat, lactose free

VERY high CP (80%)

May contain pathogens like salmonella

Question 17

What is brewer’s yeast? Why use it/benefits?

Answer 17

By-product of brewing beer (inactivated dried yeast)

Protein source, B-vitamin source

Help fight bacteria that cause infections in the intestine (functional characteristic)
Help relieve diarrhea

Question 18

Slide 18

Answer 18

Look at table

Question 19

What is dicalcium phosphate? Why include it in feed? Risks? Be sure to…

Answer 19

Obtained from degreased bones

Include it to provide minerals (Ca, P)

Risk is too much Ca (inhibits absorption of other nutrients + kidney stones)
And variability

Be sure to eliminate central nervous system (spinal cord) to prevent prions

Question 20

What is the role of Ca? P?

Answer 20

Both build and maintain bones and teeth

Ca regulates heartbeat and muscle contractions, necessary for blood clotting

P plays important part in energy production

Question 21

What is Taurine? Where is it found? Absent in… Essential in what species? Its roles?

Answer 21

sometimes called an aa, but is an acid containing an amino group

Exclusively found in animal-based proteins (muscle meat)

Absent in cereal grains

Essential for cats

Critical for normal vision, digestion, heart function, fetal development

Question 22

Why were premixes developed?

Answer 22

All micro-ingredients are properly mixed in the premix, making sure they are better balanced in the main mix

Slide 21

Question 23

What is bioavailability? Why is it important? Data in companion animals? Example in minerals?

Answer 23

How much of a nutrient can be used by the animal to support metabolic functions
Important in formulating high quality diets

Data sorely lacking in companion animals, swine data base better

For example, oxide is poorly available, sulfate is better

Question 24

Slides 24, 25

Answer 24

Mineral bioavailability

Question 25

What else affects mineral bioavailability? How might we combat it?

Answer 25

Phytate:
complex compound that binds P, other minerals, even starch (that dogs and cats cannot degrade)
= P digestibility low in plant products

In swine and chicken feed, we add phytase to the diet to improve availability

Question 26

Nutritive additives to feed (7)
Slides 27-31

Answer 26

1. Chondroprotective agents (prevent cartilage degradation)
2. Antioxidants (reduce oxidative damage, free radical formation)
3. Probiotics (feeding ‘healthy’ live bacteria to promote intestinal health)
4. Enzymes e.g. phytase
5. Herbs and botanicals (to provide macronutrients or flavour)
6. Prebiotics (non digestible carbs that are fermented)
7. L-carnitine

Question 27

Examples of antioxidants

Answer 27

Vitamin E (essential vit)

Vitamin C

B-carotene (precursor to vit A in dogs not cats)

Question 28

Technical or non-nutritive additives

Answer 28

1. Preservatives (e.g. propylene glycol retains moisture)
2. Flavours and extracts (digests, natural flavours, artificial flavours)
3. Colours (from natural sources or synthetically derived)
4. Other (to facilitate manufacturing, affect stability or form)

Question 29

Look at slides 27+

Answer 29

They suck

Question 30

Ingredients that are a source of CP

Answer 30

• brewer’s rice
• brewer’s yeast
• lentils
• poultry by-product meal
• fish meal
• powdered egg albumin&raquo_space;