Natural Preservatives for Petfood

Lynn Deffenbaugh, Ph.D.

AFB International, Inc.

ldeffenbaugh@afbinternational.com

Pet food is available in dry, semi-moist, and wet (tin or pouch) forms. Preservatives are usually employed in semi-moist and dry forms to meet long shelf life requirements. In wet forms, preservatives are not needed in the final package which is air tight and commercially sterile, although preservatives can be very beneficial in maintaining quality of the product throughout the process prior to retorting. Designing preservative systems for petfood, however, starts well before the petfood manufacturing factory, and as early in the supply chain as possible for all at-risk ingredients and components. The types of preservatives typically used in pet foods include physical antioxidants to control autoxidation, anti-mycotic and anti-bacterial compounds. Synthetic options in these categories of preservatives tend to be more economical than natural alternatives, if effective natural products are even available. Another category of preservative-like compounds are the biological antioxidants added for health benefits, and these are typically natural in origin. Biological antioxidants must be protected, often by physical antioxidants, to remain active in the food until consumed whereas physical antioxidants are intentionally consumed throughout shelf life and have completed their function when the diet is consumed. Cases where an antioxidant has both physical and biological activity are unusual.

Pets are increasingly a part of the family and owners want to treat them accordingly. Quality and value expectations for pet food approach expectations for human food, including the preference for natural preservatives. Yet many aspects of petfood manufacture, most notably the use of food by-product streams as cost effective ingredients, still parallel animal feed production. Further, jurisdiction for pet food ingredients typically falls under animal feed regulations, rather than human food regulations; it is not uncommon to have more approved ingredients available for human food than pet food. The expectation for human food quality in spite of great differences from human food manufacturing increases the challenge of using natural preservatives in pet food successfully, and especially under strict cost constraints. Very deliberate planning is required when natural preservatives are used in petfood applications. An analysis of all at-risk ingredients and process steps is recommended. Approaches using multiple points of application, often with multiple products, are frequently needed.

Dr. Deffenbaugh is currently working on new business development with AFB International, Inc. She has previously held various research and technical service positions in the petfood industry with Kemin Industries, Inc. and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and has additional experience in human food product development with Kraft General Foods, Inc. and General Mills, Inc. Lynn holds a Ph.D. from University of Nebraska in Food Science & Technology. Contact Lynn at ldeffenbaugh@afbinternational.com or +1-314-303-5764.