The facts about the meat contents of pet food.

The meat content in pet food is increasing by the day but the facts about this increasing trend is shocking. Pet food manufacturers are finding it difficult to produce dry pet food with high meat content which is in high demand as 95 percent of dry pet diets are manufactured using the extrusion process. The process of extrusion is tedious and comes with a lot of disadvantages on the quality of the food. The various ingredients for dog and cat food are sheared,and mixed heated under high pressure then passed to the extrusion machine. This extrusion method used to make kibble is suitable for lesser ingredients and not chunks of beef that are used for the food. Extrusion denatures protein thus changing structure and also reducing the nutrient value of the protein. Vitamins are also destroyed during this process of extrusion and also there is starch gelatinization in all pet dry foods. When starch is exposed to high temperature during extrusion it melts and this helps to bind the kibble and also promotes expansion of the product. Its important to note that starch is essential in the production of kibble as its the binder,the source of starch in the food also pose different levels of risk. A study showed that using cereals in dog foods is detrimental to health because of anti-nutritional factors .The research according to Animal Nutrition Group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands also shows that extrusion conditions and the type of starch used can affect glucose and insulin response in dogs after a meal of dry food. The additives used in preparation of kibble has also been linked to carcinogenic effect in pets.