Animal Nutrition: how to choose the right protein for pets

When it comes to selecting pet food, most pet owners prioritize one key factor: **protein**. This focus isn't surprising, as protein plays a critical role in maintaining overall animal health and enhancing their quality of life. Found in every living organism, protein serves a multitude of functions, from building tissues to regulating metabolism via hormones and enzymes. Additionally, it's vital for gene expression, nutrient transport, and immune responses. Given its foundational importance, choosing the right protein source for pet food isn’t a simple task. To make informed decisions about protein selection, it’s crucial to understand the criteria that define a high-quality protein source. First, the Amino Acid composition must strike the perfect balance, ensuring the presence of all essential amino acids, such as arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine, which cannot be synthesized by dogs and cats and must be obtained through diet. However, even if these amino acids are present, they must also be easily digestible to ensure they’re utilized effectively by the body. Another important factor is the protein's apparent digestibility coefficient, which measures how much of the ingested protein is absorbed rather than excreted. Anti-nutritional factors, particularly in plant-based proteins, also need consideration since they can hinder nutrient absorption. Lastly, palatability is key—pets must find the food appealing to encourage consumption. A widely-used high-quality protein source is animal protein, typically derived from poultry, fish, lamb, or cattle byproducts. Approximately 25% of the total poultry slaughter is directed toward pet food production. Ingredients like chicken protein hydrolysate are particularly beneficial, offering a complete set of essential amino acids in highly bioavailable forms. Enzymatic hydrolysis enhances digestibility and creates bioactive peptides, which contribute to overall animal health through their antioxidant properties. As an animal-derived product, chicken protein hydrolysate is naturally palatable and lacks anti-nutritional factors. Moreover, it provides additional benefits, including fats and minerals like calcium and phosphorus. Plant-based proteins, such as soy bran, are another option but come with certain challenges. Soy contains anti-nutritional factors like lectins, phytates, and trypsin inhibitors, necessitating heat treatments to deactivate these compounds before use in pet food. Soy also tends to cause gastrointestinal issues like flatulence and changes in stool consistency due to oligosaccharides. In cases where a plant-based protein lacks the ideal amino acid profile, synthetic amino acids can be added. However, research suggests that free-form amino acids may have lower bioavailability compared to those consumed as part of whole proteins, making natural forms preferable. Selecting the right protein source requires careful consideration of species-specific and age-related nutritional needs. Proper protein selection enables the creation of nutritionally dense pet foods that support growth, maintain health, and improve quality of life. Ultimately, understanding these nuances ensures that pets receive the nourishment they need to thrive.

Moisturizing Agent

Moisturizing refers to the moisturizing of the skin. The process of using skincare products with corresponding effects to moisturize the skin, prevent skin moisture evaporation, improve microcirculation, and enhance skin moisture is called moisturizing. The best moisturizing is the benign interaction between the skin and moisturizing products.

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