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Canin Steps Up Pet Food Quality Control

2008-07-31

Royal Canin steps up quality control for its pet food in response to critics

Royal Canin Canada plans to enhance quality control programs at its petfood plants following a year in which pet food recalls and lawsuits rocked the industry. Brent Matthew, the company's veterinary division director, said an infrared system will monitor incoming feed ingredients to determine if they require further examination and sorting. Other measures will also ensure finished products meet new standards before entering the market, according to Matthew.

"Those two things in combination represent a very potent and enhanced quality assurance/quality control program, all of which relates to being able to provide assurance of product safety," Matthew said. "It permits us to be able to pick up things that have no business being in the ingredients, identifying them as inappropriate and putting it aside."

During last year's recalls, a line of Royal Canin Canada specialty pet foods was affected and the company is taking great lengths to make sure such a catastrophic event doesn't occur again. "Yes, our company has been hurt. Yes, we have to face where we are responsible, even though we are not guilty," said Xavier Unkovic, chief executive of Royal Canin Canada. "But we also have to protect our customers, and this is what we are doing now. We learned the hard way. Believe me, that was tough for all of us."

Unkovic also responded to criticism from a Toronto-based pet nutrition advocate and petfood industry critic. Carol Auld recently said quality control is generally lacking in the industry. She also questioned whether a new relationship between Royal Canin Canada and the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph is appropriate and whether it will lead to independent research and improved animal nutrition. The veterinary college and Royal Canin announced a deal this spring to establish the US$3 million Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition. "Through our relationship with the University of Guelph, we are thinking about the future health of dogs and cats that will be enabled by the research being done at the university," Unkovic said. Vet college dean Elizabeth Stone went on to say that the chair would be independent. Royal Canin said it was also logical to establish the chair at the university because of the massive investment the company is making in the new plant in the Township of Puslinch, where the university is located. The approximately US$60 million pet food processing facility will be completed this summer.

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Fresh Pet Foods Are Becoming New Standard

2008-07-30

Fresh pet foods are becoming a new standard in premium foods

For years, virtually all of the dollar sales growth in the North American pet food market has been coming from the conversion of pet owners to higher priced fare, and the single most important factor behind their willingness to pay more is the belief that better quality products offer tangible pet nutrition benefits. Because fresh pet foods fit this bill perfectly, sales are on the rise, with a 23% compound annual growth rate forecasted to bring retail sales to US$473 million by 2012, according to Packaged Facts' new Fresh Pet Food in North America: The Raw/Frozen, Refrigerated and Homemade Wave report. Also helping the market along are technological advances and convenience features, overlap into the high-growth natural and organic pet food segment, heightened pet food safety concerns and the mobilization of the raw/frozen petfood industry via the North American Raw Petfood Association and the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers.

Fresh Pet Food in North America -the first and only market report to quantity this dynamic segment of the petfood market-is grounded in primary interviews with industry experts and extensive canvassing of the Internet, where the "word-of-mouth" raw dog foods movement has long been based and continues to spread. The market consists mainly of raw diets sold in frozen form but also includes refrigerated or frozen petfoods that have been lightly cooked (i.e., pasteurized) as well as uncooked products made shelf-stable via dehydration. The report also examines the growing trend toward homemade petfoods and the trend toward the usage of fresh pet food ingredients in traditional shelf-stable dry and wet petfoods.

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A Functional Pet Food Future

2008-07-15

A functional pet food future

Products like GLPH-1 from Gourmetcueticals, when used with sport animals, can help reduce the muscle breakdown caused by strenuous exercise and activity. Consumer awareness of probiotics in human foods is currently high, with active culture dairy products the fastest growing food segment in the US. According to Simmons Market Research Bureau, nearly half (48%) of the dog- or cat-owning households in the US seek out natural or eco-friendly products for a total population of 25.1 million pet-owning households. As the natural, holistic and organic pet food gain momentum, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics are becoming buzz words in our industry. But just how will they make petfood products function better?

It's all about immunity

Probiotics, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), are living organisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit. The "friendly bacteria" are typically non-GMO and are listed as Association of American Feed Control Officials approved as direct-fed microbials. Probiotics have three possible modes of action, including generating immuno-stimulants; producing antimicrobial compounds and competitively excluding other bacteria. Recent research suggests probiotic bacteria counter disease-causing bacteria in several ways, including preventing pathogen colonization in the intestines by blocking binding sites, producing antimicrobials and organic acids and stimulating the immune response and enzyme activity. The process of "competitive exclusion" when probiotic bacteria block binding sites is one of the most consistent health claims associated with probiotic bacteria observed in many animal species (Danielson, et al., 1989; Newman and Jacques, 1995; Isolauri, 2001; Saavedra, 2001).

A strong immune system in animals starts with good gastrointestinal health since most of the immune system is located in the digestive tract. In turn, the immune system is affected by the natural intestinal bacterial microflora. Benefits of probiotics in general may include controlling enteritis in dogs, stimulating immune function in puppies, improved oral and fecal odor and overall skin and coat health.

MLF Biotech has developed Liv-Pro, an all-natural, multi-strain functional pet food full of live probiotics, to promote gastrointestinal health. Liv-Pro offers a blend of beneficial bacteria that colonizes different segments of the GI tract, according to the company. The supplement has been developed for dogs and cats and is a multi-strain blend of probiotics enhanced with functional pet food ingredients.

Not just yummy in the tummy

Prebiotics that provide a stable complex carbohydrate for altering the gastrointestinal environment and enhancing immunity may soon offer solutions to pet food processing systems. Prebiotics are defined as non-digestible pet food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thus improve host health. There are a number of trials that have examined the effects of prebiotics that increase the concentrations of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacilli or Bifidobacteria (fructooligosaccharides - FOS) or inhibit pathogens, alter GI tract microbes and modulate immunity (mannan oligosaccharide - MOS).

FOS studies in cats have demonstrated concurrent increases in the beneficial bacteria and decreased concentrations of E. coli and Clostridium perfringens (Sparkes et al., 1998). Studies examining MOS in dog diets revealed improved digestibility, alterations in GI bacterial populations and improved immune parameters (Swanson et al., 2002; Zentek et al., 2002).

Orafti Animal Nutrition specializes in manufacturing functional prebiotic ingredients. Beneo is the brand name developed by Orafti to describe a range of inulin and oligofructose ingredients extracted from the chicory root. The company claims inulin and its long chained fractions are less soluble and ferment more slowly, allowing them to escape fermentation in the small intestine and make their way in to the animal's colon.

According to Orafti, depending on the nutritional focus and the physiological differences between dogs and cats, there may be a preference for either inulin or oligofructose or a combination of both. Both products are available in high purity (neutral taste) and semi-refined (overall palatability whether sweet or bitter) forms.

Gourmetcueticals also offers prebiotic products meant to be utilized in animal feed and petfood. GLPH-1 is a polysaccharide extract from botanical yeast, Candida utilis, that has been shown in more than 20 clinical trials to boost immune function as a prebiotic/anti-inflammatory and stimulate white blood cells, according to the company. It has also been shown through clinical trials to reduce muscle degradation in both animal and human athletes. Prebiotic products like GLPH-1, when used with sport animals, can help reduce the muscle breakdown caused by strenuous exercise and activity.

Strains of these bacteria selected as probiotics need to be evaluated for safety.

Focus on pet food safety

To aid in the evaluation of safety of probiotics for humans, a working group of the FAO/WHO has provided a guidance report (Joint FAO/WHO Working Group Report, 2002).

The number of studies demonstrating the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics in human and animal diets is continuously growing. The body of evidence showing direct beneficial effects in pets is also on the rise. Lines of direct fed microbials developed for premium and holistic petfoods are already being produced.

VDF FutureCeuticals recently introduced its LactiCeuticals line of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. The LactiCeuticals line is based on strains of lactic-acid producing bacteria, alone or in combination with other functional ingredients. FutureCeuticals is a manufacturer of probiotic products and offers a variety of strains in different concentrations for all probiotic applications.

For functional pet food supplements to really flourish, the process of petfood making may have to change. Because probiotics are living organisms, their stability through processing is an issue that needs to be addressed as extrusion/expansion processing will inactivate these biological products.

Kemin Industries Inc. offers a direct fed microbial for the petfood industry developed to withstand certain conditions associated with manufacturing of pet treats and products. "Depending upon the process, Kemin's proprietary strain of Bacillus subtilis has high survivability during manufacturing and while the product is on the shelf," says Charlotte Jacobs, senior vice president of global marketing for Kemin petfood ingredients. "This probiotic is a spore forming bacteria that can withstand tableting in the manufacturing stage. It does not lose its potency while on the shelf, and does not become active until it reaches the dog's gut."

Kemin's proprietary strain of Bacillus subtilis has been demonstrated to support a healthy gut in mongastrics. [Adapted from Vandenkerckhove, et al. (2006) Kemin Technical Publication BB-06-0093]. Kemin's proprietary strain of Bacillus subtilis has also been shown to produce antibacterial agents surfactin A and surfactin B. Controlled tests on hamsters showed the proprietary strain to be as effective in controlling Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) as the antibiotic Vancomycin.

Because probiotics are living organisms, their stability through processing is an issue that needs to be addressed. "The benefits of direct fed microbials like Kemin's proprietary Bacillus subtilis strain, are potentially unlimited," says Giuseppe Abrate, president of the Kemin petfood ingredient business.

Further studies are needed, but many of the initial studies demonstrating the benefits of direct fed microbials in companion animals are promising. Probiotics that are all-natural and non-GMO have great potential to serve as gastrointestinal health aids that are consistent with the current demand for natural and holistic petfoods.

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New Functional Pet Food Boosts Immune System

2008-07-10

Feed supplement that boosts immune function and overall health in animals

Through their research, Zeigler Bros. has developed Vitality Pak, branded as Vpak, an all-natural, functional pet food additive that contains no antibiotics and is designed to improve overall health and resistance to disease.

Zeigler Bros., according to the company, has a long history of researching the relationship between pet nutrition and how it effects growth, reproduction and disease protection in various animal species. Through their research, Zeigler Bros. has developed Vitality Pak, branded as Vpak, an all-natural, nutritional feed additive that contains no antibiotics and is designed to improve overall pet health and resistance to disease.

“Vpak works to boost an animal’s defense system by using bio-active compounds that stimulate their immune systems while supplementing essential nutrients,” said Tom Zeigler, PhD, chairman of Zeigler Bros. and an expert in nutritional immunology. The best results from Vpak have been demonstrated when offered throughout an animal’s complete lifecycle. Zeigler Bros. can offer Vpak by request in any of the diets they currently formulate.

“We have experienced improved results in survivals and disease resistance when aquatic animals were fed Vpak,” said Tim Zeigler, vice president of sales & marketing. “As a result, we are now in the initial stages of adding it to our line of tropical and ornamental diets, as well as our MonsterDiets reptile food,” he said. “Typically these animals are sensitive to stressful conditions that exist in their environments and could benefit greatly from the supplement."

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