Plant-based Pet Food, from myth to reality: is it a viable product?

As we´re already said plant-based Pet Food wants to step stronger. The truth is that, from science, it is not advisable to feed 100% vegan products to all Pets, as is the case with Cats, for example, who need certain nutrients that can only be obtained from meat products.

However, the humanization of Pets is increasingly evident: people - especially millennials - want to raise their animals according to their own values and ideologies. In this sense, it is to be expected that, with the trends of organic and sustainable consumption, foods that are not part of the consumption chain will be sought.

In fact, the latest 2019 statistics from the United States found that, with more than 80,000,000 Pets, there are currently more Pets than children under 18 years of age.

A 100% plant-based diet, is it viable?

The most recent study at the MDPI, conducted by Dr. Andrew Knight, stressed that it is entirely possible to feed a Dog a 100% vegan diet, as long as the food chosen is complete and nutritionally balanced.

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This is possible mainly for one reason: Dogs are no longer what they used to be. Historically they have been compared and associated with wolves, but our companions have evolved throughout the evolution of the human being. Their genetic component has been moving more and more away from what allowed comparison with wolves, which allows them to survive today - and live fully - with a type of diet, which is not based on animal protein. Ingredients that were previously unthinkable in your digestive system, such as starch, today are even absorbed and used for energy production.

For proper nutrition, Dogs don´t need meat, they need protein, fat, vitamins and minerals, all of which can be found in a plant-based diet. Today's domesticated dogs have the ability to metabolize carbohydrates, and in most cases, subsist and thrive on a diet with considerably less protein than their wolf ancestors; today it is considered that dogs are not facultative carnivores, but omnivores.

The most important thing to achieve a quality vegan Pet Food: proteins

The great challenge when creating vegan formulas for Dogs is the replacement of the protein provided by meat products.

When choosing which protein to include in the formula, it is not only important to consider its nutritional quality, but also its long-term sustainability since, if we are making a change towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly food, it is prudent to ensure that its environmental impact is the least possible. Likewise, producers must take into account the availability of the product in order to obtain it continuously and supply the market with the requested demand.

Some of the most used vegetable proteins, both for humans and animals, are soybeans, peas or peas, lupins, wheat and corn. At the moment, it is innovating with chickpeas, lentils and beans, and particularly it is studying the benefits and the nutritional component of two plants: duckweed and microalgae.

Both are an interesting protein source because they can be grown in water all year round, in the right climates. Due to their natural habitat, both can grow in areas where many other foods cannot be grown, so they would not compete with other agricultural activities either.

Duckweed is an aquatic plant in the Lemnoideae subfamily. It has a higher amino acid concentration than other plant proteins and is comparable to animal protein, including fish meal, in terms of protein content. Its main disadvantage is that it can´t be grown in very cold climates.

Seaweed, meanwhile, can be an alternative source of protein for reasons similar to duckweed. In terms of production levels, it´s estimated that a single hectare of algae can produce more than 40 tons of protein, which is very beneficial. Like duckweed, you need the right environment to be able to grow them throughout the year. Its main disadvantage is that its cell walls are more durable than those of other plants, so more processing is needed to obtain its protein.

As Dogs and Cats became domesticated over time, human food scraps have become more and more prevalent, inevitably leading to physiological adaptations to process more plant-based foods and components.

In addition, most pet owners who seek to lead a more sustainable life every day (which includes a plant-based diet), understand that eating certain animals and protecting others is, in short, an irony. By opting for vegan Pet Food they reduce the killing of living beings and the pollution that comes with the treatment of meat and the depletion of the oceans.

The real test: palatability

As with any other Pet Food, palatability is essential, because it is they, the dogs, who will give the last "thumbs up." The latest published data shows that very good palatability performance can be achieved using ingredients of plant origin. To achieve this, it will be essential to take advantage of flavor modulation and masking technologies to ensure that the vegetable protein has a primitive aroma and textures similar to those of meat. It is likely that the development of a plant protein alternative will require additional ingredients.

Brands and manufacturers can - and should - prepare today to meet the growing demand for plant-based Pet Food, because it's a movement on the rise. As Pet Food trends closely follow human trends, plant-based protein ingredients are increasingly dominating the market.

The energies of the industry should be focused on manufacturing vegan alternatives and of sufficient nutritional quality to be the exclusive food of those Dogs owned by the children of millennials and for those who bet on food, human and animal, free of animal protein.

By: All Pet Food