PET Food Processing - December 2019 - 32

INGREDIENTS

sensitivities or intolerances to lactose, the inherent sugar
in milk. When lactose does not get digested, it leads to
gas, bloating and gastrointestinal distress. The fact is,
dogs and cats love dairy. Unless they cannot digest lactose or have a diagnosed dairy allergy, cheese, ice cream
and even milk may be nutrientdense sources of protein, essential
fats, vitamins and minerals.
The Bear & The Rat: Cool Treats
for Dogs, Hygiene, Colorado, markets two lines of frozen dairy treats
for pets. One based on cow's milk,
the other on goat's milk. Both lines
are formulated with a digestive
aid that assists with healthy stools
and less gas. "We added the goat's
milk line for pets that are sensitive
to cow's milk," says Meg Meyer,
president and co-founder of the
10-year-old company. "Our products are all at least 75% moisture,
so they provide hydration, which is
crucial to many pet's diets."

Alternative proteins

Labels only tell part of
the story. How a pet diet
is processed from start
to finish determines the
nutrient value it offers
pets and the food safety
standards it meets.
Blue Dog Bakery

Plant-based, vegetarian and vegan
is all the buzz in the human world,
so of course this trend is transferring to pet food. Alternative
sources to animal protein include
proteins from plants, fungi, insects and cell-based lab production. "A common misconception
is that dogs need animal meat in
their diet, but what they truly need
is protein. And protein is readily
available to dogs from a variety of
plant and fungi-based sources,"
says Ernie Ward, chief veterinary
scientist, Wild Earth Inc., Berkeley,
California, a vegan pet food company. "In fact, many would be surprised to learn that the fungal proteins used by Wild Earth contain
more protein per gram than beef."
Wild Earth uses yeast protein as its main ingredient,
which provides all of the essential amino acids that dogs
require, according to the company. Other purposeful ingredients - oats, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, blueberries,
pumpkin and spinach - provide fibers, vitamins, antioxidants, chloride and potassium.
Legumes are the most common source of plant protein. The challenge is that plants do lack essential amino

PET FOOD PROCESSING | December 2019 | www.petfoodprocessing.net

acids required for adequate nutrition. "Legumes, such
as pea protein, are high-quality ingredients that contribute meaningful levels of protein, fiber and micronutrients to dogs' diets," Luchsinger says. "Pea protein
contains essential amino acids such as leucine, lysine
and arginine. However, pea protein should be complemented in pets' diets with other ingredients, like meat
protein, to balance out the amino acid profile."

"We need to move
away from the focus
on ingredients and
instead focus on
the nutrients those
ingredients provide."
Jennifer Adolphe, Ph.D., Petcurean

Legumes, however, are currently on some pet parent's
list of feared ingredients due to some of their inherent
compounds, such as lectins. "Lectins are carbohydratebinding proteins commonly found in a wide variety of
crops and, when high quantities of raw seed or flour are
consumed, they can result in undesirable health effects,"
Adolphe says. "However, research has shown that moderate heat treatment, such as that used to make kibble
and canned pet foods, inactivates the anti-nutritional
properties of lectins."
Legumes are often used in large quantities in grainfree diets, as they contribute some of the functionalities
of standard grains. However, as the result of a recent report from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
suggesting a potential link between grain-free diets and
dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs, some consumers have become hesitant to feed grain-free diets.
However, there has been no published evidence to support a cause-and-effect relationship between grain-free
diets and DCM in dogs. "For many pets, grain-free diets
are an excellent option," Adolphe says. "In some cases,
they are the only option, particularly for pets who do
better on a diet without grains, including those experiencing adverse food reactions."
Responsible grain-free brands will ensure that the
food is formulated to deliver complete and balanced
nutrition. The fact remains, however, that staple grains
such as corn, rice and wheat are responsible for providing quality energy that pets require. "The current trend
toward grain-free pet foods has led consumers to believe

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PET Food Processing - December 2019

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