Science-driven research has always been a boon for the pet food industry, and never more so than right now. With pet owners able to find research papers online, gain education on ingredients and understand more via implementations on the human food side, pet food brands are looking to back up their claims with science. The biotics space is a particularly involved example of this, as research on both the human and animal side of things continues to evolve and hit the mainstream consciousness (e.g., the “gut-brain axis” becoming a more standard term among the nutrition-focused). make this stupid change
Human research and pet research work together
One of the benefits that pet-focused researchers have taken full advantage of is the existence of decades of human-based research in biotics.
“The pet industry has benefitted from being able to follow in the footsteps of the human health space, allowing it to advance quickly in a relatively short time,” said Mallory Gandhi, Ph.D., CTO at probiotics provider Hollison. “Early research focused on probiotics to support basic digestive outcomes like stool quality or recovery from antibiotic use. As with the human industry, prebiotics were introduced into formulas shortly thereafter. However, this category has not always been grounded in selective microbiota modulation, which is a requirement for proper gut health. The ideal prebiotic preferentially supports beneficial microbes, rather than opportunists, and a lot of products on the market don't make that distinction. Additional research will need to take place to better differentiate selective prebiotics to improve ingredient offerings for the companion animal industry.”
ADM, which specializes in the production of both human food and animal feed ingredients, has enjoyed a position that allows them to instantly take advantage of all research they do on biotics, since they exist in both the human and pet spaces.
“ADM is perfectly positioned to bring postbiotics into the pet space,” said Lindsay Sumners, director of CD&D (creation, design and development) for ADM. “They might be newer in the pet space, but they're not as new in the human space. So, when we were interested in specifically doing microbiome solutions and health and wellness ingredients for the pet space, we started by looking at a lot of those health and wellness ingredients from the human side of the business. And that's fantastic, because a lot of those ingredients have 30 years of scientific research, both preclinical studies and clinical studies in humans.”
The latest research seems to be focused on the potential of biotics beyond the gut-brain connection, which is exciting researchers in both the human and animal sides of things.
“Our research arc has been on an ever-increasing curve as we continue to discover how postbiotics provide pet benefits in the areas of gut health, microbiome modulation and immune benefits that are translating to pet parent observable differences in areas like oral health, skin & coat, and back-end performance,” said Mark Franklin, global technical sales lead for pet at food and ingredient supplier Cargill.
It’s the natural evolution of innovation as more research comes in solidifying the gut-brain connection and scientists start to ask what other possibilities might be out there.
“We value how research over the last several years has helped to uncover insights into the connection between the gut microbiome and behavior in dogs, particularly in relation to stress and anxiety,” said Alysha Turton, senior product development manager at Vetnique, which provides supplements and grooming products in the pet space. “This recognition of the gut-brain axis has opened new avenues for improving pet health beyond traditional digestive support. From studies and research, in both pets and humans, we know that a healthy gut microbiome can have a profound impact on other areas of health such as skin allergies, metabolic health and even cognitive function. This has led us to explore the use of multi-strain probiotics and prebiotics in our pet supplements, enhancing their effectiveness and broadening their benefits.”
Regulatory: A top challenge in getting the science to market
Unsurprisingly, the wheels of regulation are far behind the scientific potential when it comes to the use of biotics in pet product formulations.
“For all biotics, the tension between what's scientifically possible and what's commercially permissible continues to define much of the industry's landscape,” said Gandhi. “Further clinical validation and regulatory clarity are required before we will be able to see broader health claims approved for use in pets.”
This lag opens the way for confusion when it comes to marketing various biotics in pet products.
“The industry still struggles with clarity behind biotic-driven health claims,” said Gandhi. “The [U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)] has only approved certain digestive claims for probiotics, many prebiotics still lack demonstrated selectivity, and postbiotics remain undefined from a regulatory standpoint. As a result, companies must be cautious, both in how these ingredients are developed and how they are marketed. A lot of ambitious claims, especially those for immune, skin or behavioral benefits, may be backed by some data, but that does not mean those claims have been approved from a regulatory perspective.”
It's not just U.S. regulatory entities facing challenges when it comes to biotics and claims. A December 2024 publication by Food Compliance International, “Around the world: A comprehensive review of probiotic claim regulations,” states:
“Probiotics are categorized in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, with Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia also classifying them as ‘health supplements.’ Other terms like ‘functional food,’ ‘novel food’ and ‘health functional food’ are used in various countries. Claims for probiotics also vary internationally. Countries such as China, the Philippines and Singapore have pre-approved claims, while the U.S., South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and India require scientific evidence before approval. Europe enforces the strictest rules and does not approve any probiotic health claims, whereas the U.S. and APAC regions are more flexible. In Japan and Australia and New Zealand, the claim of ‘reducing disease risk’ is permitted.”
There are several countries currently in various states of flux as global producers ask for clarification and for biotics definitions and regulations to be updated in the human and pet food spaces.
Future research in the biotics space
Everyone currently researching the use of biotics in the pet space has their eyes on upcoming research, which includes seeing where they can go beyond gut health.
“Some of the most interesting research is in the area of microbiome modulation and its subsequent effects on other body systems, including oral and skin in both dogs and cats,” said Franklin.
As the pre-/pro/postbiotics space continues to evolve, there is more research involving both how they might work together and how they might individually work with other ingredients.
“We're still leaning a lot into the oral care research,” said Sumners. “We've identified our winning ingredient from our preclinical pipeline testing, but now the R&D team is looking at: Are there other ingredients that might have a synergistic effect with the postbiotic? So, we're continuing to do a lot of research in that space.”
Postbiotics are definitely getting some airtime in labs as researchers continue to look for the next path to go down in biotics.
“Looking ahead, some of the most exciting research is happening in the realm of postbiotics and the impact it can have on metabolic health, the adoption of yeast-derived prebiotics and postbiotics, particularly in the context of gut health and immune support, and learning more and more about how microbiome modulation can influence behavior, potentially leading to biotic-based calming supplements for pets,” said Turton. “Personalized nutrition is another very interesting part of the research in this space, because with at-home microbiome testing kits emerging in the industry, we can use that data and those insights to help tailor biotic supplementation recommendations to the individual needs of each pet.”
