Pet food professionals can learn about a rising trend, whole and ancient grains, at the inaugural Petfood R&D Showcase: Going with the Grain on October 10-12, 2017 at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Pet food industry suppliers and scientists will share their knowledge on the use of whole and ancient grains in pet food. The Petfood R&D Showcase will include interactive labs and networking events.

Discounted early bird registration is now open for Petfood R&D Showcase: Going with the Grain

Petfood R&D Showcase attendees will:

• See how to produce a pet food diet with ancient grains
• Make their own pet food treats using ancient grains, functional enzymes and novel flavors
• Learn how to use grain-based diets to maximize pet food safety
• Enhance their knowledge on kill-step validation

Whole and ancient grains moving from human to pet food

Grain-free pet food formulations have been a strong trend for more than a decade, wrote Greg Aldrich, PhD, in his Petfood Industry column “Beyond grain free: sowing the seeds of change in dog and cat diets.” In place of commodity grains, such as corn, pet food formulators began using alternatives, including potatoes, peas, chickpeas or lentils. However, pet food consumers are starting to reject these substitutions for commodity grains. Whole and ancient grains may serve as alternatives to those alternatives.

Humans have begun to serve more whole and ancient grains on their own plates, and this trend seems to be translating into the pet food market as well. Some examples of ancient grains in the pet food market include chia seeds, wheat varieties, amaranth and quinoa.