Research on the use of prebiotics, antioxidants and eggshell membrane as functional ingredients in pet foods will be featured during the sessions at Petfood Forum Europe 2017 on June 13 in Cologne, Germany. Additional ingredient-related sessions will cover protein and trace minerals in pet foods, plus pet owners’ nutritional knowledge of pet foods.
Tackling dogs’ age-related cognitive decline with polyphenols
Anne LePoudere, R&D manager for Vivae-Diana Pet Food, will describe the cognitive deficits frequently appearing in dogs of advanced age. She will explore how these declines may result from oxidative stress on the brain and other organs.
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LePoudere will present evident that functional ingredients in pet food may prevent this oxidative stress and mitigate age-related cognitive changes. LePoudere and her team undertook a long-term project to study a combination of polyphenols from blueberry and grape extract, specifically formulated for its antioxidant properties. She will share how the research demonstrated the metabolic efficacy of this mix and its benefits on old dogs’ cognitive abilities.
Effects of prebiotic, inulin-type fructans in overweight dogs
Franka Neumer, PhD, manager of nutrition science for Beneo, will share results of a study to investigate the “second-meal effect” of a prebiotic blend of inulin-type fructans, which are chains of fructose sugar molecules. These fructans may curb after-meal blood sugar responses as a possible weapon in the fight against pet obesity.
Many studies have shown the ability of dietary fibers or prebiotics to alter the blood glucose and hormone responses often associated with obesity, but some have suggested that certain prebiotics, when consumed at an early meal, can even curb the responses after a second meal consumed hours later. Neumer’s study used modern high-throughput DNA-sequencing to study this phenomenon in dogs. This research also studied the effects of prebiotics on fecal microbiota, metabolites and bile acids.
Novel ingredient to treat hip dysplasia in dogs
Erena Gil-Quintana, PhD, quality and R&D technician for Eggnovo SL, will describe a study conducted on arthritic dogs to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of eggshell membrane as a functional ingredient in pet food, and determine its tolerability and safety. Osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia are chronic, degenerative and inflammatory diseases that affect the synovial joints of dogs. Gil-Quintana’s research reports the clinical evaluation of joint mobility in dogs with hip dysplasia given a new nutritional supplement from eggshell membrane, the thin layer between the eggshell and the yolk of hens’ eggs that naturally contains collagen, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin and lysozyme.
