Nutrition: Page 309

AFIA holds Purchasing, Ingredient Suppliers Conference

The 2012 Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference, an annual two-day event of the American Feed Industry Association, was held March 14-16, in Orlando, Florida, USA, where 553 individuals working within the livestock feed and petfood industries learned about the latest issues and events. Those in the animal feed industry who attended the conference heard market analyses and speakers on current topics such as barcoding, packaging, China’s impact on agriculture production, regulatory requirements and more.

JRS to host fiber seminar for petfood, pet treat manufacturers

J. Rettenmaier & Sohne will host a fiber seminar for the needs of petfood and pet treat manufacturers at its headquarters in Rosenberg, Germany, on May 16. The company will feature industry experts and petfood specialists sharing knowledge on the latest trials in pet nutrition and new EU labelling practice for petfoods.

Bloomberg reviews 'human-grade' petfoods for appearance, taste

All-natural dog food, including foods that meet Association of American Feed Control Officials' requirements to claim “human-grade,” make up 10 percent of all sales in the US$18.9 billion petfood industry, according to Packaged Facts. To determine what this "human-grade" dog food really tastes like to humans, Lucy Postins, founder of petfood company The Honest Kitchen, says her employees sample every ingredient when formulating a new dog food recipe.

Vet addresses pet nutrition myths in university lecture series

Tufts University's most-recent lecture in its weekly series featured Dr. Lisa Freeman, a professor from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, presenting and discussing her research on companion animal nutrition. The lecture, part of the "A Taste of Tufts: A Sampling of Faculty Research" series, focused on exposing pet nutrition myths and educating pet owners on how to select an optimal diet for their pet.

Pet Food Market

Record corn crop in US (find out what that means at Petfood Forum)

Two sources -- the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) -- are predicting a record corn harvest for the US this year, according to WattAgnet.com. FAPRI, a think tank based at the University of Missouri, puts the crop number at 13.916 billion bushels, reports a Reuters article, a 6% increase over the previous record set in 2009 (and based on the second largest plantings since World War II).

Petfood ingredient L-carnitine aids in maintaining pet health

An important petfood ingredient, L-carnitine, may provide many benefits to pets that consume it as part of a regular diet, a recent article says. Dr. Johhny Lopez, who holds a Master's degree in animal science and a PhD in monogastric nutrition, says that L-carnitine aids in transporting fatty acids inside the pet's body to the cell's mitochondria, or "furnace," where they are converted into extra energy for the pet's body to use in breathing, eating, resting, metabolism and activity.

Pet Food Product Database

Tuffy's Pet Foods Inc.

P.O. Box 190

145 1st Ave N

Perham 56573

Pet Food Ingredients

Petfood ingredient definitions: a new role for AAFCO?

A memorandum of understanding between the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the US Food and Drug Administration pertaining to the former’s feed ingredient definition process is due to expire in September 2012. FDA has indicated it does not intend to continue its participation in the process when the agreement expires.

Pet Food Ingredients

Selenium status in adult cats and dogs

Cats maintain higher blood selenium (Se) concentrations compared to dogs and, unlike dogs, show no signs of chronic Se toxicity (selenosis) when fed dietary organic Se (selenomethionine) concentrations of 10 µg/g DM. This study investigated the response of cats and dogs to high dietary concentrations of sodium selenite and organic Se to determine differences in metabolism between both species.

Pet Food Ingredients

Influence of dietary protein on colonic fermentation

Low-consistency, high-moisture feces have been observed in large dogs, compared to small dogs, and particularly in sensitive breeds (e.g., German Shepherd). The aim of this work was to determine if higher colonic protein fermentation is responsible for poorer fecal quality in large sensitive dogs.

Pet Food Ingredients

Cooked navy bean powder as novel protein source

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae) are a low-glycemic-index food containing protein, fiber, minerals and essential and bioactive compounds yet have not been evaluated for inclusion in canine commercial diets. The objective of this study was to establish the apparent total tract digestibility and safety of cooked navy bean powder when incorporated into a canine diet formulation at 25% (wt/wt) compared to a macro- and micro-nutrient matched control diet.

Market Trends and Reports

Effects of a urolith prevention diet in cats

This study evaluated urine concentrations of glycosaminoglycans, Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein and nephrocalcin in 10 cats fed a diet formulated to prevent calcium oxalate uroliths. In a previous study, the cats were sequentially fed two diets: the one each cat was consuming prior to urolith detection and a diet formulated to prevent calcium oxalate uroliths.

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