Pet Food Processing - May 2024 - 46

FORMULATION
Cats are especially sensitive to off-odors or flavors,
such as secondary aldehydes and biogenic amines that
are generated from oxidation and microbial spoilage. "
Abby Castillo, Kemin Industries
be unappealing to cats, and an enhancing flavor compared
to bone's mineral-like taste that turns felines away,
LePore explained.
Simmons Pet Food leverages this research to build
upon its co-manufacturing capabilities, offering expansive
support from concept to product formulation to
commercialization and beyond. The company partners
with palatant experts to create solutions specific to each
customer's needs.
For kibble, moisture in these formats can be a concern
since cats usually prefer the driest of kibbles.
According to Saint-Paul, cats can detect differences
in humidity as low as 0.5 points between two kibbles.
Additionally, Greg Hibbard, senior scientist, science
and technology of product development at AFB, highlighted
the importance of ensuring all pieces of the
Felines can
detect minute
differences in
humidity and
tend to prefer the
driest of kibbles.
©rosinka79 - stock.adobe.com
kibble " puzzle " work together.
" The key to better palatable cat food is to make sure
the kibble, fat and palatant synergize together, " he explained.
" We have found that a new ingredient in the
kibble or a different fat can change palatability. With
cats, a small change can be a big change in palatability. "
Wet formulas are a little different, as wet food is often
believed to be inherently more palatable over dry.
However, some cats may need additional palatants to appease
their senses.
" Even a small addition of a palatant that is designed
for wet pet food applications can significantly improve
the palatability of wet pet food without affecting the integrity
of the product, " Castillo said.
Texture is also imperative.
" Both the format and the texture of the food can
influence a food preference, " LePore shared. " This aspect
holds particular relevance for cats, whose feeding
preferences are heavily influenced by texture.
However, our observations have been that cats often
exhibit a tendency to lap up the gravy while leaving
the chunks in the bowl when presented with a
chunks-in-gravy diet. "
The application of the palatant also matters as bad
application can ruin any and all effort to please cats.
According to Saint-Paul, cats will reject unevenly coated
food. For extruded kibble, palatants should be applied
ideally after fat-coating and in a specific order of liquid
first and powder second to ensure
efficient interaction with animal
taste receptors.
A formula's existing ingredients
and nutrient profile must be
factored into this complex equation.
Phosphorus has long been
used as a proven method to improve
palatability, according to
Castillo, but formulators must
pay special attention to the calcium-phosphorus
balance to avoid
negative health effects.
" For companies looking to
make specific claims, such as allnatural
or health claims related
to kidney or urinary function,
it may be important to lower
phosphorus content, which will
likely lower the palatability of the
overall diet, " she added. " In these
cases, a company may need to
invest more money in selecting
a palatant that is best suited to a
given kibble, instead of relying on
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Pet Food Processing - May 2024

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