Abstract
Horse treat packaging may be composed of materials including plastic and paper which protect the product from the environment to improve shelf life. Objectives of this research were to 1) assess the impact of packaging on shelf life of horse treats and 2) evaluate the impact of packaging on horse preferences. Three packaging treatments (control, poly, and paper) were examined at five time points over a 12 month period. Treatments were analyzed for moisture, water activity, mold, yeast, pH, and volatile organic acids. Horse preference testing evaluated first treatment sniffed, consumed, and finished as well as number of treats consumed. Significance was set at P < .05 and trends at P < .10. Moisture content and water activity increased in all treatments (P < .01) from month 0 to month 12, with paper packaging providing a greater fluctuation and containing visible mold at month 12 (P < .01). No difference was observed for first treatment sniffed, consumed, or finished during preference testing. However a trend (P = .09) for the period∗treatment interaction was observed for number of treats consumed, with poly increasing while paper decreased. These data indicate that packaging impacts shelf life and horse preference of treats.
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