Technical Department of Linneos and De Morgenstond Kennel Center (Dussen, Holland), 2024.

Introduction

Nowadays, pet owners attach great importance to the fact that their pets’ food includes natural, healthy ingredients with specific functions, as well as being manufactured with a low environmental impact.

Also, the concept of clean label pet food (absence of animal by-products, allergens or artificial additives, among others) and the inclusion of functional ingredients that support the animal’s health and immunity is key to a good assessment.

Increasing the palatability of the feed through an all-natural, non-animal additive with proven properties to support intestinal and immune health can contribute significantly to a favourable perception of the product.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of Apsapal®, a natural umami palatant of non-animal origin, on feed preference and acceptance by adult dogs in a double bowl test.

Material and methods

Animals and housing

The study was conducted at the De Morgenstond Kennel centre (Dussen, The Netherlands).

Twenty adult dogs, of which half were males and half were females, all sterilized, healthy and weighing an average of 21 kg, were included. They were housed individually at mealtime, and for the rest of the day, in groups that could play and rest in large spaces with access to the open air, as shown in the photograph.

At each meal, the dogs were given a choice of 2 bowls, each containing 500 grams of one of the two diets tested for up to 30 uninterrupted minutes. The parameters described below were assessed at each mealtime. Every day, the positions of the two bowls were exchanged for each dog (right and left). The study lasted 4 days.

Experimental design

  • Diet A: Control, standard extruded dog food (nutritional formula available upon request).
  • Diet B: Additive, the previous extruded diet, but with half the standard palatant used in the manufacture as usual. Apsapal® was added as a post-extrusion spray.

Parameters assessed

  • First decision: First diet ingested in each observation.
  • Consumption (intake ratio – IR): Of the total feed consumed, percentage corresponding to each type.
  • COR (consumed-to-offered ratio): Average amount of feed consumed in each bowl with respect to the total content of the bowl.

Results

Conclusions

  • The addition of Apsapal® by spraying after feed extrusion improved the dogs’ preference and acceptance of the feed.
  • Apsapal® allows to reduce the use of animal palatants and still increase palatability.
  • Apsapal®, due to its yeast content, would also exert a prebiotic effect with improvement of intestinal and immune function, as indicated by several published studies.

Find here the features and benefits of APSAPAL

Enhancement of the taste experience and improvement of feed palatability.
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