Nutraceuticals

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.

Nutraceuticals

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.

Nutraceuticals

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.

Nutraceuticals

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.

Nutraceuticals

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.

Nutraceuticals

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.