INGREDIENTS IN PET FOODS Flashcards
What are Ingredient Characteristics
- Nutrient Characteristics (total content known - also human food data base, generally weak public data base)
- Bioavailability poorly described (don’t like to use animal models)
- Functional Characteristics
- Feed Processing Characteristics
- Taste Characteristics (pallatibility)
- Color characteristics
What Are the Ingredient Categories?
For Nutritional Value:
- Vitamin / mineral content
- Chondroprotective agents, antioxidants
- Probiotics / enzymes
- Herbs/ botanicals
- Prebiotics
For Technical / non nutritive effects:
- Preservatives
- Flavours
- Extracts
- Colors / others
Name three parts of importance of feed quality
- Input - affects the intake (pallatability, how much eat etc)
- Output - feces / stool quality
- Animal Health (growth, animal health / growth / haircoat obesity, welfare)
What is important in processing Dicalcium phosphate?
Removing the entire CNS so there isn’t a chance of BSE contamination (including encephalon and spinal cord)
What are some roles of Calcium and Phosphate
- Blood Clotting
- Maintaining healthy strong teeth and bones
- P utilized in energy system
- Regular heart heartbeat / muscle contractions
What Happens when there is too much Calcium in the diet
Inhibition of other nutrients
Kidney stones
What is Bioavavailability
How much of a nutrient can be used by an animal to support metabolic functions.
side note: bioavailability data sorely lacking for companion animals - therefore use the swine database
Which is more bioavailable Oxides or sulfates?
Sulfates, oxides are poorly bioavailable
What is Phytate?
Complex that binds Phosphorous, other minerals, even starch. Therefore phosphorous digestibility is low in plant products.
Why is salt important in the diet
To support maintenance and normal growth / development. Dogs require at least 0.3% Na in dry kibble and 0.2% in cat dry dog food.
What happens when there’s too much sodium in a dog diet?
Increased thirst
Can cause swelling in the body. Puts strain on the kidneys and circulatory system as the body tries to rid excess fluid.
Vomitting / diarrhea / seizures may indicate sodium ion poisoning
Why is DL-Methionine important?
Precursor of cysteine - which can become converted into Taurine.
Can be converted to GLUTATHIONE WHICH is an important physiological antioxidant.
It is also an important urinary acidifier - which prevents UTIs and bladder infections
Important for skin / coat / eye / heart health etc.
Vitally important to the long term health of K9/Feline
Side Effects: Loss of Appetite, vomitting / diarrhea
What is the importance of Taurine / where is it found?
EXCLUSIVELY found in animal based protein, muscle meat
Absent in cereal grains.
ESSENTIAL for cats: conjugation of bile acids
Antioxidant
Osmoregulation
Membrane stabilization
Modulation of calcium signalling
Critical for vision, digestion, heart muscle function, fetal development, healthy immune system
What does Choline Chloride do?
Methyl donor in reactions involving methionine, folic acid, vitamin B12, glycine / Serine
Key component of cell membrane phospholipids
vital part of NT acetylcholine
Lipotropic agent in fat utilization / lipid signalling
Defficiency: results in weight loss, fatty liver and even death in cats / dogs
Name a nutritive supplement and it’s function
- Chrondroprotectants
Glucosamine HCL/ Chondroitin Sulfate
Retards degredation of cartilege (chondroprotective)
Promote chondrocyte metabolism in the treatment of osteoarthritis
Made from hydrolysis of shrimp / crab shells (hydrolysis of chitin)
Also in sulfonated form (chondroitin sulfate)
2.Antioxidants - decrease oxidative damage and free radical formation
Vitamin E (essential, reduce formation of free radicals and protects lipid rich cell membrane)
Vitamin C - non essential
Mineral dependent antioxidants (trace minerals incooperated into antioxidant enzymes) Se, Mg, Zn, Cu
Beta carotene, other carotenoids
Precursor for Vitamin A in K9 NOT FELINE - Probiotics - Promote intestinal health
Lactobacillus - Aspergillus etc.
Influence gut flora to compete against salmonella / e.coli etc. (canines and felines more prone to digestive sensitivit may benefit from pre/probiotic.
4.Enzymes
Rarely used in companion animals (like phytase) - Herbs/ botanicals
MAJOR source of flavor
Minor source of macronutrients in whole form
Pharamacological vs nutritional function.
Potential safety concern - onions / garlic in large Q cause oxidative damage. - Other:
L-carnitine
transports long-chain acyl groups from fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix, so they can be broken down through β-oxidation to acetyl CoA to obtain usable energy via the citric acid cycle
7.Pre biotic
Fructo oligosaccharide
Anything that isn’t digested but fermented
Resistant starch (not digested in SI fermented in LI)
Among these, a wide range or fermentation characteristics exist.
