Beef by-products: No guts no glory!

There are many quality choices regarding organ meats and beef by-products, despite what human squeamishness would have you believe.

Greg Aldrich, Ph.D.

February 10, 2021

Beef by-products get a bad rap on the human side, but they can serve a valuable nutritional purpose in pet food. | (Studioimagen73 | Shutterstock.com)

Beef by-products get a bad rap on the human side, but they can serve a valuable nutritional purpose in pet food. | (Studioimagen73 | Shutterstock.com)

Are beef by-products good ingredients for pet food? Short answer — Yes. But some critics would have you believe they are vile, evil and unfit for consumption. Consider this though: Some people like liver and onions, natural beef hotdogs or blood sausage in the traditional casing (intestines), tripe soup, kidney soup, haggis or sweetbreads. These would all be considered by-products according to pet food definitions.

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Ingredient Issues

Protein hydrolysis — nutrition and health

Hydrolyzed proteins have a lot of potential in pet food formulations.

Hydrolyzed proteins can be complex, but their nutrition and health benefits should not be overlooked in formulating pet food.

CULT Food Science plans FDA trial for cultivated meat in pet food

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As far as the company is aware, Further Foods is the only company in dialogue with the FDA about feeding trials for a cultivated chicken dog treat.

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Meatly announced it has become the first European company authorized to sell cultivated meat, following UK clearance for its cultivated pet food.

felix_w | Pixabay.com

Bunge expands into pea, faba protein concentrates for pet food

Golden Fields built and will operate a new factory in Liepaja, Latvia, to produce exclusively for Bunge.

Bunge’s new range of pea and faba protein concentrates are designed to enhance protein content and support non-GMO and allergen-free labeling.

Insect-based Cat and Dog Food

Insect protein is a key solution to a sustainable pet food industry

Government interest and funding are increasing for using insects to help meet climate goals.

In addition to a friendly carbon footprint, using insect protein in pet food can enhance pets' health and well-being by improving their gut microbiome, skin and dental health.

Evermore Pet Food meets Better Chicken standards, earns GAP Step 4 certification

Human-grade pet food producer said it has made the first commercially prepared food — for pets or humans — to meet all Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) standards.

BioCraft's cultivated mouse meat reaches price parity with premium pet food

Company said it reimagined the use of growth media to both cut costs and boost the nutritional profile of its mouse meat.

Indian agritech start-up uses silkworms to create sustainable feed protein

Loopworm offers several sustainable insect protein products designed for animal and pet nutrition.

Loopworm uses silkworms to produce high-quality ingredients and supplements for the pet food and animal feed industries.

Enifer to construct mycoprotein production facility in Finland

The Finnish biotech company will produce its PEKILO mycoprotein with a new EUR33 million factory located in Kirkkonummi.

The production of PEKILO mycoprotein has a low carbon footprint and requires minimal land and water, making it a very sustainable alternative to animal and plant proteins.

Meatly hits cultivated meat milestone, cuts production costs

Agronomics said its portfolio company, Meatly, has achieved a significant milestone in developing a protein-free culture medium costing £1 per liter.

Meatly’s cultivated chicken protein will be featured in Omni’s sustainable cat food formula.

Dr. Clauder’s, Calysta collaborate on fermented protein dog treat

The companies introduced their non-GMO, nutrient-dense pet treat produced by controlled fermentation at this year's Interzoo.

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Ingredient Issues

A proposal to approve ingredients for pets

Streamlining the acceptance process would go a long way towards advancing pet nutrition options for pet food manufacturers.

The pet food industry has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to the efficiency of ingredient acceptance regulations and processes.

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