Processing Functional Ingredients: Page 2

Processing Functional Ingredients

Gelatin: Has its time come for pet food applications?

While not a significant ingredient in today’s pet food and treat formulas, the potential for innovative solutions may warrant giving gelatin another look.

Brand Insights

Demand for Sustainable Pet Food Ingredients Remains Strong

Kemin Industries

With pet health and nutrition at the forefront of pet parents' minds, pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers must continue to put sustainability at the forefront of their innovations.

Processing Functional Ingredients

Xanthan gum: Functional carbohydrate for petfoods?

Xanthan gum is found occasionally in pet products, most commonly in wet foods and periodically in sauces and gravies, milk replacers and other liquid supplements. While one can find this ingredient in the specialty grocery aisle for vegetarian and gluten-free dietary needs, it is not what one would consider mainstream.

Processing Functional Ingredients

Is ‘natural’ glycerin a good petfood ingredient?

In the past several months, a recurring question from manufacturers of treats and semi-moist petfoods has come up: “Can we use ‘natural’ glycerin in our foods?” The quick answer is yes, but why are they asking this? There seems to be confusion creeping into the market; maybe some sort of controversy is brewing about glycerin.

Processing Functional Ingredients

Plasma: thermoplastic gel with pet health benefits

To the couch potato, the word “plasma” likely conjures up thoughts of a new television; to Trekkies, it’s the high-energy gaseous field the USS Enterprise has to traverse periodically. In other words, the term by itself doesn’t necessarily conjure up a yuck factor.

Processing Functional Ingredients

Guar gum’s invisible presence in petfood

Guar gum is a common, but nearly invisible, ingredient in petfoods. It is found in almost every brand of wet petfood, whether marketed at a farm-and-fleet, grocery, big-box, indie or boutique store. However, you won’t find this ingredient on the shelf by itself at your local grocery, and it has low recognition with consumers.

Processing Functional Ingredients

Carrageenan: for appearance's sake only?

Carrageenan is added to help form a loaf (meatloaf), retain moisture in the loaf and bind the contents together so they slide from the can intact. This ingredient is often lumped into the category of gels and thickeners, which "foodies" call hydrocolloids.