Nutritional alternatives to improve the quality of pets life

During the last two years, the number of dogs and cats adopted has increased worldwide to alleviate the effects of isolation caused by the COVID pandemic. The human-animal bond is a mutually-beneficial and dynamic relationship influenced by behaviors considered essential for the health and well-being of both.

Several scientific articles demonstrate the beneficial effects of this human-animal relationship in humans. Therefore, pet parents have become increasingly committed to reciprocating these benefits. A recent survey by Mintel (2021) showed that 33% of the Peruvians interviewed said that there are no limits to the amounts they would spend for their pets' health.

In Mexico, 73% of respondents own dogs, and 35% own cats. The Latin American pet food industry has increasingly matured and grown. Latin-American consumers seek cost-effective premium pet foods. Although food price is considered when purchasing pet food, food quality has become a significant factor, particularly products offering natural and sustainable options.

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Wet Pet Food Quality

According to Mintel, pet parents are increasingly committed to ensuring their pets a long and healthy life and seeking preventive measures to achieve this goal. In the last five years, more than 5,100 products with an immune health claim (Immune System - Functional) were launched worldwide, and this figure has shown a 7% annual increase (CAGR 2018-2020; MINTEL).

Hippocrates said, 'Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food'. This sentence perfectly applies to today's pet food market with the extensive adoption of functional and nutraceutical ingredients. Moreover, due to COVID, consumers seek products to prevent diseases and improve their quality of life through nutrition.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used as a functional food ingredient for thousands of years. In the pet food industry, its contribution to food palatability and functionality has been widely demonstrated, as it is a source of amino acids, peptides, nucleotides, B vitamins, manna oligosaccharides, and beta-1,3/1,6-glucans.

Beta-1,3/1,6-glucans are natural polysaccharides located inside the yeast cell wall, protected by a mannan oligosaccharide layer. They have proven direct beneficial effects on the gut immune system. However, to exert such benefits, the yeast needs to be submitted to a purification process to break down the mannan oligosaccharide to release the beta-1,3/1,6-glucan molecules. Biorigin's MacroGard is a world-class biotechnological product with extensive scientific evidence of its effectiveness.

MacroGard is composed of beta-1,3/1,6-glucans, and its benefits are related to immune modulation and glucose and lipid metabolism. Studies with dogs and cats evaluating MacroGard added to extruded food and cookies (or fed in capsules) demonstrated its effects on: dog atopy (Beynen et al., 2011), osteoarticular conditions (Beynen & Legerstee, 2010), oral health (Verbrugghe et al., 2012), inflammatory response reduction (Oliveira et al., 2019; Vetvicka and Oliveira, 2014; Zaine, 2014; Verbrugghe et al., 2012; Zaine, 2010), neutrophil and monocyte phagocytic activity (Vetvicka and Oliveira, 2012; Zaine, 2014), antibody production (Oliveira et al., 2019), glucose and insulin metabolism (Ferreira et al., 2022; Vetvicka and Oliveira, 2014), and lipid metabolism (Ferreira et al., 2022).

MacroGard can be fed to dogs of all ages, strengthening their defenses to face possible challenges. It is particularly indicated during vulnerable life stages, such as for growing and elderly dogs.

MacroGard is resistant to heat processing during pet food manufacturing, ensuring its safety and effective function when fed to dogs and cats.

Source: Biorigin