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Meineri G, Candellone A, Tassone S, Peiretti PG, Longato E, Pattono D, Russo N, Pagani E, Prola L. Effects of "fresh mechanically deboned meat" inclusion on nutritional value, palatability, shelf-life microbiological risk and digestibility in dry dog food. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250351. [PMID: 33886652 PMCID: PMC8061975 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Meineri
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Alessia Candellone
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Sonia Tassone
- Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Pier Giorgio Peiretti
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Erica Longato
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Daniele Pattono
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Natalia Russo
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Campus Aurelio Saliceti, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Elena Pagani
- Monge & C. S.p.a., Monasterolo di Savigliano, Italy
| | - Liviana Prola
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy
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Vinassa M, Vergnano D, Valle E, Giribaldi M, Nery J, Prola L, Bergero D, Schiavone A. Profiling Italian cat and dog owners' perceptions of pet food quality traits. BMC Vet Res 2020; 16:131. [PMID: 32393389 PMCID: PMC7216655 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02357-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over recent years, pet owners have started to demonstrate increased sensitivity toward their companion animals, which includes an increase in the attention paid towards their nutrition, seen as a way of safeguarding their pets' welfare. The aim of this study was to identify how pet food quality traits are perceived as being the most important by dog and cat owners. To this end, a survey of dog and cat owners was conducted by means of a questionnaire distributed in pet stores and trade fairs throughout Italy. RESULTS A total of 935 surveys were collected; 61.8% of which were compiled by female pet owners. The respondents were relatively homogeneously distributed between cat (30.8%), dog (39.4%), and cat and dog (29.8%) owners. A quarter of the owners (25.5%) reported to have asked their veterinarian for advice on which pet food to buy, and almost a third (30.4%) trusted the advice posted on the web sites of well-known brands. "Contains natural ingredients" was the characteristic that obtained the highest mean score (4.3 out of 5). Elderly owners (> 65 years) placed most importance on whether a product had a high price, and least on feed appearance, animal satisfaction, and stool quality. Young owners (< 35y) paid most attention to the stool quality, the percentage of protein in the feed, and the presence of recyclable packaging, and least attention to feed appearance, smell, and animal satisfaction. Feed appearance, smell, a higher cost, and certain label indications (protein content, presence of fresh meat, grain free) were mostly important among the buyers of wet pet food. Some specific differences also emerged between dog, cat, and dog and cat owners. CONCLUSIONS In this survey of Italian pet food buyers, the presence of "natural" ingredients was considered to be the most important indicator of pet food quality, whereas characterized by a high price was considered least important. The data obtained from this survey could be used to help pet food companies identify which pet food quality traits are perceived as important by dog and cat owners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marica Vinassa
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
- CNR, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
| | - Diana Vergnano
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Emanuela Valle
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Marzia Giribaldi
- Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, CREA, Strada delle cacce, 73, 10135, Turin, Italy
| | - Joana Nery
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Liviana Prola
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Domenico Bergero
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Achille Schiavone
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
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Hurley K, Oakes LM. Infants' Daily Experience With Pets and Their Scanning of Animal Faces. Front Vet Sci 2018; 5:152. [PMID: 30042950 PMCID: PMC6048265 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Very little is known about the effect of pet experience on cognitive development in infancy. In Experiment 1, we document in a large sample (N = 1270) that 63% of families with infants under 12 months have at least one household pet. The potential effect on development is significant as the first postnatal year is a critically important time for changes in the brain and cognition. Because research has revealed how experience shapes early development, it is likely that the presence of a companion dog or cat in the home influences infants' development. In Experiment 2, we assess differences between infants who do and do not have pets (N = 171) in one aspect of cognitive development: their processing of animal faces. We examined visual exploration of images of dog, cat, monkey, and sheep faces by 4-, 6-, and 10-month-old infants. Although at the youngest ages infants with and without pets exhibited the same patterns of visual inspection of these animals faces, by 10 months infants with pets spent proportionately more time looking at the region of faces that contained the eyes than did infants without pets. Thus, exposure to pets contributes to how infants look at and learn about animal faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karinna Hurley
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Human Development, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Lisa M. Oakes
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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