Effects of “fresh mechanically deboned meat” inclusion on nutritional value, palatability, shelf-life microbiological risk and digestibility in dry dog food

Abstract

Fresh mechanically deboned meat (MDM) is usually claimed as high-quality ingredient on dry pet food recipes and this aspect may positively influence consumer choice. It is important to determine the scientifically sustainability of this claim and to assess the microbiological safety of MDM inclusion in dry pet food. Objectives were: 1) to evaluate the effect of inclusion of MDM in dry dog food on fatty acid profile and in vivo and in vitro digestibility, proposing a new system (DaisyII Incubator) to measure the in vitro digestibility for dogs; 2) to compare palatability of dry dog food containing MDM with dry dog food in which meat by-products (MBP) are the only animal protein sources; 3) to determine, whether or not, the inclusion of that ingredient changes the microbiology and the storage quality. Results indicated that MDM product was characterized by significant higher nutritional value in terms of fatty acids profile, in vitro digestibility (HV-IVD method) and lower palatability than the MBP product. Microbiological risk assessment showed no microbiological hazards for either product. After 6-months storage, the total mesophilic bacterial count ranged between 1.77 and 2.09 log CFU/g feed, while polyamine values were higher in the MDM (0.37 g/kg) than in the MBP (0.27 g/kg). The DaisyII Incubator was found to be a valid instrument for studying in vitro digestibility also for dogs, providing data simply, quickly, with less variability and costs than in vivo trials. In conclusion, MDM inclusion in dry dog food is microbiologically safe and it can improve its nutritional quality, at the expense of a reduced palatability. The higher polyamine levels fount in MDM-enriched petfood after 6-months storage, however, may represent a possible hazard, and further studies are still warranted.

Nutritional evaluation and palatability of pet biscuits for dogs

“…Knight & Satchell (2021) also stated that high levels of crude protein in dog diets interfere with palatability, digestibility and faeces quality. In addition to the high crude protein content, some authors mention that high fat content also contributes to palatability results, as a preference for moist or semi-moist foods (Meineri et al, 2021;Samant et al, 2021). Souza et al (2022b) in their study tested different levels of carcass flour inclusion with Nile tilapia head residues.…”

The impact of protein source and grain inclusion on digestibility, fecal metabolites, and fecal microbiome in adult canines

“…Total fecal samples were collected during the last 4 d of the experimental period ( Meineri et al, 2021 ). All fecal samples were weighed, scored, and stored at −20 °C until analyzed to determine macronutrient ATTD using the ­formula:…”

Insights to Study, Understand and Manage Extruded Dry Pet Food Palatability

“…From the pet owners' perspective, fresh meat benefits from a more healthy, nutritive, and palatable image than meals and byproducts [107,108], but it does not reflect cat and dog food preferences. Koppel et al [109] compared the impact of the inclusion of mechanically deboned chicken, i.e., fresh poultry, against the inclusion of chicken byproduct meal on the sensory characteristics and volatile profile of kibbles.…”

“…Over the 30 descriptors evaluated by human panelists on appearance, taste and aftertaste, flavor, texture, and mouthfeel, only bitterness, fishiness, and cohesiveness of mass were affected by the inclusion of fresh meat over meat meal. Recently, some studies compared fresh meat or chicken to meat meals and meat or chicken byproduct meals [107,108]. In both studies, two-bowl tests showed a significant preference for byproduct meals over fresh materials, with an intake ratio and first choice of approximately 70% for the processed ingredients.…”

“…In both studies, two-bowl tests showed a significant preference for byproduct meals over fresh materials, with an intake ratio and first choice of approximately 70% for the processed ingredients. Meineri et al [107] attributed this preference to the higher fat content and moisture in kibbles with byproduct meal and its lower drying temperature, which may have impacted aroma generation, thus influencing first choice and overall palatability. However, in a study by Shields [108], the fat content was slightly lower in byproduct foods, and it was highlighted that a higher fat content could lead to undesirable higher lipid oxidation.…”