From a pet food manufacturer's standpoint comes this presentation. Helping the public better understand the kibble we call pet food

1. Alexia
Heldman DVM
June 2, 2016
MYTHS AND
MISPERCEPTIONS
PET FOOD INGREDIENTS

2.  1. Pet owners are concerned about the ingredients.
 2. Ingredients should be selected for their nutrient content
3. Finished product also depends on processing and cooking
KEY POINTS

3.  Lots of folks think, “Oh my gosh there’s chemicals in my food!
I’m here to tell you that food is made of chemicals, that’s the
way it’s made here on planet earth. Everything is a chemical”-
Dr. Nathan Myhrvold
 Why are chemicals included?
 Are actually essential vitamins and minerals
 Meat byproducts are scary
 Organs and other nutritious parts
 Too many believe what they read on the internet despite peer
reviewed published data
PET OWNERS DO NOT WANT CHEMICALS

4.  AAFCO- Voluntary charged by law to regulate the sale and
distribution of animal feed
 Nutritional claims, acceptable ingredients
 Animal digest- highly palatable protein
 BHA- Butylated Hydroxyanisole Antioxidant
 Brewer rice- broken grains
 Meat byproducts- protein source of organ meats, scrap meat,
bone, blood, and fatty tissue----which do not include hair, hide,
horns, hooves, teeth, or intestinal content!
 Menadione Sodium- Vitamin K
 Tocopherols- Natural source Vitamin E
 TBHQ- Tertiary butyl hydroquinone
 Whole Grain- bran, germ, and endosperm
COMMONLY USED INGREDIENT TERMS

5.  Why?
 1. Often called a “filler”
 2. Quality of grains are questioned
 3. Grain can manifest as allergies
GRAIN FREE PET FOOD

6.  Good carbohydrate source
 75% starch
 6-10% protein
 4% fat
 7% fiber
 Legal definition of filler is little to no nutritional value
WHOLE CORN

7.  Abnormal reaction to a normal food or ingredient
 Signs:
 GI or dermatologic or both
 Vast majority are to the proteins or glycoproteins
ALLERGIES AND GRAINS

8. MOST COMMON FOOD ALLERGENS FOR
DOGS AND CATS
Beef- 36% Beef- 20%
Dairy-28% Dairy -14.6%
Wheat- 15% Fish- 13%
Egg-10% Lamb- 6.7%
Chicken 9.6% Poultry- 4.5%
Lamb 6.6% Barley/Wheat- 4.5%
Soy 6%
Dog Cat
Verlinden A, Hesta M, Millet S, et al. Food allergy in dogs and cats: a review.

9.  Needed in a form of glucose for the brain, nervous tissues,
and RBC.
 If not provided you have de novo gluconeogenesis from amino
acids and glycerol backbone of triglycerides.
ARE CARBOHYDRATES A DIETARY
REQUIREMENT FOR CATS AND DOGS?

10.  Not necessarily low in dietary carbohydrates
 Other sources of carbohydrates
 Potatoes
 Beans
 Tapioca
 Peas
GRAIN FREE DIETS

11.  Can they digest carbohydrates?
 Both cats and dogs lack salivary amylase
 Both have pancreatic amylase, and have intestinal
disaccharides
 Dietary carbohydrates/simple sugars, starches, fiber
 Proper processing is crucial
 Poorly digestible carbohydrates or an overload of simple sugars may
induce adverse changes in intestinal metabolism. True for cats given
25-40% sugar or starches
CATS ARE CARNIVORES

12.  Pet owners are concerned about the meaning, content, and
source
 Lack of understanding may confuse pet owners, and they
perceive that these are poor quality ingredients
 Consists of edible parts and organs such as; heart, lungs, liver, meat
trimmings, and bone
 Do not include hair, hide, horns, hooves, teeth, or intestinal content
 May actually provide more nutritional benefits
 Many are considered a delicacy in other cultures
MEAT AND POULTRY BY PRODUCTS

13.  May greatly influence the quality of protein produced
 Can affect protein digestibility of finished pet food
 Pet food companies contract with specific supplier for
consistent quality
 Those affiliated with USDA inspected plants receive animal
products only from those facilities
Urban legend is that pet foods contain rendered remains of pets
RENDERING

14.  Rendering is recycling
 A secret no more
 Good for animal health
 Rendering is sustainable
 Clean and safe
 Consumers can have confidence
 Volume in/quality out 56B # raw10B # fats and 9B#protein
RENDERING FACTS

15.  Quality is determined
 By amino acid composition
 Digestibility
 Ability to meet amino acid requirements
 Example- Soy protein provides 100% of essential amino acids,
but is deficient in methionine and scores lower.
 By mixing proteins in a diet, the finished product can provide
excellent protein quality, even though individual components
have limitations
ANIMAL VS VEGETABLE PROTEIN

16.  Raw food diets suggests that cooking decreases nutritional
value and destroying inherent enzymes.
 Natural enzymes add little, if any, value to digestibility
 Are not specialized and do not help digestion
 Grains benefit from cooking
 Cooking increases digestibility between 14-208%
Carmody RN, Wrangham RW. The energetic significance of cooking.
EFFECT COOKING HAS ON QUALITY AND
DIGESTIBILITY

17.  Effect on nutrient quality and digestibility can vary with type
of cooking method, temperature, time, and moisture.
 Extrusion uses a combination of:
 Moisture (25-35%)
 Temperature between 100 and 150C
 Pressure 20-30 bars
 Mechanical sheer (0.5- 5 minutes)
 Correct extrusion favors higher retention of amino acids,
protein and starch digestibility, decreased lipid oxidation,
higher retention of vitamins.
 Extrusion denatures undesirable enzymes such as: trypsin
inhibitors and phytates. Sterilizes the finished product
EXTRUSION COOKING

18.  Pyridoxine hydrochloride- Vitamin B6
 Menadione sodium bisulfite- Vitamin K
 Copper Proteinate- Dietary copper
 40+ essential nutrients that dogs and cats need
 Tocopherols or vitamin E- natural antioxidant
 BHA, TBHQ or ethoxyquin- synthetic antioxidant
 Without antioxidants essential fatty acids become oxidized or
rancid and nutritional value is destroyed
PET OWNERS MAY NOT RECOGNIZE

19.  Pet parents want transparency and trust
 Pet specialty rules:
 3278 new pet food products introduced in to the US in 2015, Maria
Lange Business Group Director for GFK
 Sustainability is a main concept
 Pet food purchasing patterns are related to the type and
amount of protein content
TRANSPARENCY

20.  Paleo, GMO free, grain free, natural, freeze dried
 US sales- $5.5 billion, representing 10% growth
BUZZWORDS BACKED BY NUMBERS

21.  Pets require specific nutrients not specific ingredients
 Pet food manufacturers formulate diets to be complete and
balanced
 Ingredients should be selected for nutrient content, as well as
impact for palatability, digestibility, and consumer
preferences.
 Finished product also depends on processing and cooking
SUMMARY