Upcycling is a new word for something the pet food industry has done for a long time, using human food products that would have otherwise gone to waste. Upcycled pet food ingredients use existing materials, especially otherwise discarded foods like misshapen vegetables or citrus by-products, to make a value-added item.
Fortified and functional foods are packaged foods and beverages that have been enhanced with additional health components and/or nutrients in order to provide a nutritional benefit. Pet treats are given to dogs to strengthen pet and owner bonds and as a reward but it is essential to understand the functionality of the raw materials, e.g. sorghum, and relate their impact on animal health and acceptance of the pet and the pet owner.
Currently, the number of approved veterinary medicines are limited, and human medications are used off-label. These approved human medications are of too high potencies for a cat or a small dog breed. Therefore, there is a dire demand for smaller doses of veterinary medicines. 3D printing could potentially be used to manufacture personalised doses for animals at the point-of-care and is the perfect example of where texture analysis is being applied.
One alternative protein source gaining attention is insects, and is already spilling over into petfood. For people who are not comfortable eating them directly, insects still have a role to play in addressing climate change and making agriculture more sustainable. Using insects as a feed source for farm animals has been happening already and is a lot less costly for the environment than traditional feeds.
However, unlike our farm animals, our pets may be all too fussy to switch unless the palatability of the new petfood is up to their liking. As the purchaser of their food, consumers loyalty is affected when the pet finds their new food not to their liking. Whilst it would not be clear whether that was due to taste or texture, the right food texture should be high on a formulators list of priorities. This is when you need to compare the texture of original ‘well liked’ petfoods with their reformulated counterpart to see whether you have created a textural match.
What are the new ingredient and product ideas in petfood and animal feed product research, development and production and how can a Texture Analyser be applied?
The pet food and animal feed industry is experiencing rapid innovation, largely driven by pet owners' increased attention to their pets' health and welfare and the need for sustainable and efficient livestock farming practices. Here are some of the newer ingredient and product ideas in petfood and animal feed research, development, and production and a typical academic reference to show how the Texture Analyser has already being applied:
- Alternative proteins: There's a growing interest in sustainable protein sources for pet food, such as insect-based proteins, fungi-based proteins, and plant-based proteins. These sources are seen as environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional meat.
Example: Functionality of oat fibre concentrate and faba bean protein concentrate in plant-based substitutes for minced meat
- Functional ingredients: Incorporating health-beneficial ingredients into pet food, such as probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and joint supplements.
Example: The effect of feeding hens a peanut skin-containing diet on hen performance, and shell egg quality and lipid chemistry
- Grain-free and limited ingredient diets: Many pet owners are looking for grain-free options or foods with limited ingredients to address allergy concerns or dietary sensitivities.
Example: Utilizing surplus bread as an ingredient in dog food: Evaluating baking and extrusion processing on physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility performance
- Human-grade and premium ingredients: As pet owners increasingly view pets as family members, there's a demand for high-quality, human-grade ingredients in pet food.
Example: Product Development Considerations for Reformulation of Canned Cat Food Paté Using Texture Profile Analysis (TPA)
- Customisable pet foods: Offering tailor-made pet food blends based on the specific needs, age, breed, or health concerns of individual pets.
Example: Do dietary soy alternatives lead to pork quality improvements or drawbacks? A look into micro-alga and insect protein in swine diets
- Sustainability: Sustainable sourcing of ingredients, upcycling ingredients (using food by-products), and eco-friendly packaging.
Example: The use of tunicate (Ciona intestinalis) as a sustainable protein source in fish feed–Effects on the extrusion process, physical pellet quality and microstructure
- Clean label movement: Just as in human foods, there's a trend toward simpler ingredient lists and avoiding synthetic additives in pet foods.
Example: Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) Seaweed Added to a Growing-Finishing Lamb Diet Has a Positive Effect on Quality Traits and on Mineral Content of Meat
- Alternative animal feed additives: Use of seaweeds or specific botanicals that can reduce methane emissions from ruminants, helping to combat climate change. Use of novel petfood supplementary ingredients can add beneficial nutrients to existing compositions.
Example: Canine vegan biscuits produced with inulin and blackberry flour
- Aquaculture feeds: With the growth of the fish farming industry, there's research into more sustainable and efficient feed for farmed fish.
Example: Optimisation of the process parameters for extruded commercial sinking fish feed with mixed plant protein sources
- Fermented and processed feeds: Fermentation or specific processing techniques can improve the digestibility and nutrient availability of animal feeds.
Example: Effect of sterilization and storage on a model meat analogue pet food
Using a Texture Analyser in pet food and animal feed development
The integration of the Texture Analyser in petfood and animal feed product research and development (R&D) holds a diverse range of applications, playing a pivotal role in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of animal feed. Measuring kibble hardness for dry pet foods offers insights into chewability, allowing adjustments based on the target animal's size and age. Understanding moisture content and cohesiveness becomes vital for wet pet foods, influencing palatability. Adhesiveness assessment proves significant for pet treats or pastes, predicting how well they'll be accepted and handled by animals.
The Texture Analyser's contributions extend to ensuring the integrity of animal feed pellets, particularly in aquaculture settings where maintaining pellet structure in water is essential. Quality control is upheld as the Analyser aids in maintaining consistent texture across feed batches, impacting palatability for pets and feed efficiency for livestock. In formulation testing, understanding how the introduction of new ingredients or changes in ratios affects the resulting texture is of paramount importance. Shelf-life studies, vital for monitoring textural changes over time, especially in the presence of moisture, ensure feed quality over its lifespan. Furthermore, the Texture Analyser serves as an indicator of digestibility, as certain feeds' hardness and texture can correlate with digestibility levels, thus aiding in optimising animal health. While true palatability tests involve animals' responses, texture analysis offers quantitative data that, when combined with palatability tests, guides formulation decisions. In the realm of animal feed product R&D, the Texture Analyser emerges as an indispensable tool, enabling precise analysis and contributing to the creation of high-quality feeds that meet animal preferences and nutritional requirements. The combination of innovative ingredients, sustainable practices, and instruments like Texture Analysers ensures the pet food and animal feed industry can create products that are beneficial for animal health, accepted by animals, and environmentally sustainable.
There is a Texture Analysis test for virtually any physical property. Contact Stable Micro Systems today to learn more about our full range of solutions.
For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.
The TA.XTplusC texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.
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