Flax

A complex little seed

Greg Aldrich, Ph.D.

May 15, 2007

Flaxseed is sort of "in vogue" as a health-conscious ingredient these days, and for good reason. This "grain" contains a high level of fat (41%), a decent quality and quantity of protein (21%), is rich in dietary fiber (28%) and claims various nutraceutical properties. This sounds like a pretty complete package already; but when discussing flaxseed, the feature that garners the most attention is its omega-3 fatty acid content.

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According to some industry players, pet food label modernization (PFLM)-related changes are estimated to cost the pet food industry more than $1 billion in updates to comply with the new requirements.

PFLM: Are you ready?

Dog And Cat Eating

Yeast: A possible approach to preventing pet disease

Processing Functional Ingredients

Turmeric: Ancient spice may offer osteoarthritis relief in dogs, cats

The color additive turmeric is permitted in pet foods and may ameliorate inflammation for dogs and cats, but few studies are available that define specifics about preparation and dosing.

Turmeric is commonly considered a spice and is permitted in pet food for use as a coloring additive. | (tarapong srichaiyos | shutterstock.com)

Brand Insights

Pet Food Quality: A More Holistic Approach to Food Safety

KEMIN NUTRISURANCE

Learn why addressing microbial risks throughout the value chain is critical to a robust food safety program. Brand Insights from Kemin.

Pet Food Quality: A More Holistic Approach to Food Safety

Green tea extract: is this herb safe in dog, cat diets?

Green tea extract has been around for centuries, but its use in pet foods is a very modern consideration that is long on extrapolation and short on proof of benefit.

Green tea extract has been credited with many health benefits for humans. However, it had not been considered for inclusion into pet diets until the last few decades. | Subbotina Anna, Bigstock.com

Petfood additive a leading dental health aid

Today there are a number of dog foods and treats promoted as beneficial for dental health. Some sport the Veterinary Oral Health Council seal (VOHC Accepted) for having passed a rigorous product test.

Yucca schidigera: Latin for odor-reducing petfood ingredient

Periodically one finds an ingredient called Yucca schidigera extract on the label of a petfood—and not just on dog and cat food labels. You might even find it on ferret and rabbit food labels; and for those of you who consider your horse a pet, you may see it in horse feeds.

Plankton: coming soon to a petfood near you

Petfood manufacturers have for years been aggressively exploring the world for quality economical ingredients. More recently, companies have tried to find novel and unusual ingredients to attract pet owners' attention. But a new motivation may soon be pushing the introduction of novel ingredients--scarcity.

Does MOS work for petfoods?

Mannan oligosaccharide - also called mannans or, more commonly, MOS - is a naturally occurring component of yeast cell walls. MOS has been researched extensively for use in livestock nutrition and more recently for humans and pets, mainly in Europe and Asia. While most of the nutrition-related discovery has occurred in the past few years, references on mannans appear in literature dating back a half century.

Fish oil

Great omega-3 source (but not without challenges)

Glucosamine gains popularity

Foods and supplements containing "chondroprotective agents" have become popular in the petfood aisle.

Chondroitin in petfood

An increasing number of petfoods and pet supplements are targeted at joint stiffness or lameness in the aged dog and cat, or at those dogs engaged in highly strenuous activity. Most of these products contain chondroprotective agents such as chondroitin sulfate and/or glucosamine hydrochloride.

Probiotics present challenges

Probiotics, or direct fed microbials, are an entire class of live microorganisms with a very complicated but intriguing story

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