Betaine: natural ingredient for next generation of petfoods

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.

Greg Aldrich, Ph.D.

May 8, 2012

While nutritionists will group betaine with the water soluble â€œB vitamins,â€ it is, classically speaking, an amino acid (molecular weight 117.15).

While nutritionists will group betaine with the water soluble â€œB vitamins,â€ it is, classically speaking, an amino acid (molecular weight 117.15).

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.

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