Betaine has become more common in pet diets in the last decade as natural and unique ingredients have become the driving force behind new petfoods. Betaine is a nearly pure chemical nutrient that hails from natural origins, and it certainly isn’t mainstream. While there is no identified nutritional requirement for betaine per se, and it doesn’t even merit mention in the Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006), it does have a purpose. Used judiciously, betaine can replace a portion or all of the supplemental choline chloride in the diet.
To the manufacturer, betaine can be slightly easier to use in the petfood production process, and it certainly behaves better in premixes. But, betaine is relatively new to most of us in the petfood industry. This would suggest a bit of background and understanding about this compound’s origin, function and fit for petfoood is in order.
