Animal-derived Ingredients Research Articles

The research on the efficacy and safety of natural active ingredients in pharmaceutical cosmetics

In recent years, pharmaceutical cosmetics have experienced rapid development in fields such as skincare and anti-aging, particularly due to the multifunctionality and safety of natural active ingredients. These natural components, including plant extracts, marine bioextracts, and animal-derived ingredients, exhibit significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, reparative, and anti-aging effects, making them widely used in pharmaceutical cosmetics. However, despite being considered a safe choice, potential safety issues such as allergic reactions and photosensitivity still exist. Therefore, systematically studying the efficacy and safety evaluation of natural active ingredients, especially their applications in pharmaceutical cosmetics, is of great importance for driving industry innovation and ensuring product safety. This paper analyzes common natural active ingredients, explores their efficacy and safety evaluation standards, and proposes strategies to optimize their application.

Bioinformatics Tools Assist in The Screening of Potential Porcine-Specific Peptide Biomarkers of Gelatin and Collagen For Halal Authentication

Gelatin and collagen are two animal-derived ingredients that are widely used in various industries. Both have distinctive physico-chemical characteristic that made them ingredients of interest for many industrial players to be applied as there are vast arrays of usage in the food, cosmetic and biomedical fields. However, the origin of gelatin and collagen poses ethical and religious concerns, especially for Muslims and Jews who have restrictions on food consumption. Porcine by-products are of concern for religious and health reasons, and there is a demand for precise and reliable detection techniques. The limitation of DNA detection is due to extreme environment in food processing which results in low extractability of DNA. Therefore, peptide-based detection using mass spectrometry is required. However, identify the suitable marker is like searching needle in haystacks. Hence, combination of bioinformatics and mass spectrometry is proposed. This study aims to identify the specific peptide biomarkers by employing bioinformatics technique which can be applied to identify gelatin and collagen sources with the aid of mass spectrometry. In these approach, combination of Petunia Trans-Proteomic Pipeline (TPP, version 5.2.0) and sequence alignment ClustalW were applied to facilitate the MS data (LC-QTOF-MS) and peptide identification. As a result, 69 fasta file of protein sequence from both UniProtKB and NCBInr have been collected, 81 collagen peptides sequence and 118 gelatine peptides has been attainable that have the potential to distinguish different species. In conclusion, in silico protein sequence approaches helps to enable rapid screening of proteotypic peptides that can serve as species biomarkers proficiently.

Double-Tube Multiplex TaqMan Real-Time PCR for the Detection of Eight Animal-Derived Dairy Ingredients.

Milk and dairy products represent important sources of nutrition in our daily lives. The identification of species within dairy products holds importance for monitoring food adulteration and ensuring traceability. This study presented a method that integrated double-tube and duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with multiplex TaqMan probes to enable the high-throughput detection of animal-derived ingredients in milk and dairy products. The detection system utilized one pair of universal primers, two pairs of specific primers, and eight animal-derived specific probes for cow, buffalo, goat, sheep, camel, yak, horse, and donkey. These components were optimized within a double-tube and four-probe PCR multiplex system. The developed double-tube detection system could simultaneously identify the above eight targets with a detection limit of 10-0.1 pg/μL. Validation using simulated adulterated milk samples demonstrated a detection limit of 0.1%. The primary advantage of this method lies in the simplification of the multiplex quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) system through the use of universal primers. This method provides an efficient approach for detecting ingredients in dairy products, providing powerful technical support for market supervision.

Domestic dogs maintain clinical, nutritional, and hematological health outcomes when fed a commercial plant-based diet for a year.

Domestic dogs can maintain health on complete and well-balanced canine plant-based nutrition (K9PBN). Novel insight on health outcomes in dogs consuming K9PBN is of relevance to veterinary professionals and consumers given a growing interest in non-traditional dog foods with perceived health benefits, while considering potential safety concerns. We aimed to investigate nutritional equivalence by measuring clinical health outcomes in adult dogs fed K9PBN over twelve months compared to a meat-based diet at baseline. We enrolled fifteen clinically healthy adult dogs living in households in Los Angeles County, California in a prospective cohort study and evaluated clinical, hematological, and nutritional parameters in dogs at 0, 6, and 12 months, including complete blood count (CBC), blood chemistry, cardiac biomarkers, plasma amino acids, and serum vitamin concentrations. The study found that clinically healthy, client-owned, adult dogs maintain health, based on physical exams, complete blood count, serum chemistry, plasma amino acids, serum vitamins, and cardiac biomarkers combined with client-reported observations, when fed commercial K9PBN over a twelve-month period. This study is the most comprehensive and longest known K9PBN investigation to date and provides clinically relevant evidence-based nutrition data and new knowledge on outcomes in clinically healthy dogs who thrive without consumption of animal-derived ingredients. These results also provide a valuable foundation for the future study of K9PBN as a potential nutritional intervention for clinically relevant pathologies in canine medicine. Lastly, it is of major relevance to One Health paradigms since ingredients produced independent of industrial food animal production are both more sustainable and help to circumvent ethical dilemmas for maintenance of health in domestic dogs.

Preparation of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by faba bean protein-grape leaf polyphenol conjugates: pH-, salt-, heat-, and freeze-thaw-stability.

Plant proteins are being increasingly utilized as functional ingredients in foods because of their potential health, sustainability, and environmental benefits. However, their functionality is often worse than the synthetic or animal-derived ingredients they are meant to replace. The functional performance of plant proteins can be improved by conjugating them with polyphenols. In this study, the formation and stability of oil-in-water emulsions prepared using faba bean protein-grape leaf polyphenol (FP-GLP) conjugates as emulsifiers. Initially, FP-GLP conjugates were formed using an ultrasound-assisted alkali treatment. Then, corn oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using high-intensity sonication (60% amplitude, 10 min) and the impacts of conjugate concentration, pH, ionic strength, freezing-thawing, and heating on their physicochemical properties and stability were determined. Microscopy and light scattering analysis showed that oil-in-water emulsions containing small oil droplets could be formed at conjugate concentrations of 2% and higher. The addition of salt reduced the electrostatic repulsion between the droplets, which increased their susceptibility to aggregation. Indeed, appreciable droplet aggregation was observed at ≥ 50 mmol/L sodium chloride. The freeze-thaw stability of emulsions prepared with protein-polyphenol conjugates was better than those prepared using the proteins alone. In addition, the emulsions stabilized by the conjugates had a higher viscosity than those prepared by proteins alone. This study showed that FP-GLP conjugates are effective plant-based emulsifiers for forming and stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions. Indeed, emulsions formed using these conjugates showed improved resistance to pH changes, heating, freezing, and salt addition. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Fish Meal and Soybean Meal on Gastrointestinal Function in Carnivorous Companion Animals – Using Mink (Neovision vision) as a Model

Abstract Soybean meal (SBM) is fed to various livestock species worldwide. It is also present in dog food as a plant protein source, combined with animal-derived ingredients. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of dietary supplementation with fishmeal (FM, an animal protein source) and high amounts of SBM (a plant protein source) on nutrient digestibility, gastrointestinal function and enzyme activity in mink, a model carnivore. The experiment was performed on 14 female American mink of a standard strain. Diet FM was supplemented with 12% FM and 8% ground wheat grain with sugar beet pulp, and diet SBM contained 20% SBM. It was found that the dietary addition of 20% SBM to mink diets negatively affected the digestibility of protein, carbohydrates and energy. Enhanced colonic fermentation processes as a source of additional energy, observed in SBM group mink, were not sufficient to compensate for the loss of nutrients and energy in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Therefore, SBM should be applied with caution in diets for carnivorous species.

Islamic jurisprudence on the use of animal-derived ingredients in aquaculture feed

Islamic jurisprudence on the use of animal-derived ingredients in aquaculture feed

Meat Authenticity Made Easy: DNA Extraction-Free Rapid Onsite Detection of Duck and Pork Ingredients in Beef and Lamb Using Dual-Recombinase-Aided Amplification and Multiplex Lateral Flow Strips.

Meat adulteration is a major global concern that poses a threat to public health and consumer rights. However, current detection techniques, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, are time-consuming and require sophisticated equipment. In this study, we developed a rapid onsite identification method for animal-derived ingredients by utilizing a fast nucleic acid lysis buffer to expedite the release of sample nucleic acids and combined it with dual-recombinase-aided amplification (dual-RAA) technology and visual multiplex lateral flow strips (MLFSs). Our method successfully detected duck- and bovine-derived, porcine- and bovine-derived, duck- and ovine-derived, and porcine- and ovine-derived meat in a rapid 20 min onsite detection assay, with a detection limit of 101 copies/50 μL reaction system for target genes. Moreover, our method accurately detected adulterated meat with proportions as low as 1:999. These findings have significant implications for food safety and the protection of consumer rights.

Active Ingredients and Natural Raw Materials Used in Foot Care in Diabetic Patients—A Literature Review

Diabetic foot syndrome is the leading cause of limb loss due to non-healing ulcers. Repeated injuries, abnormal foot loads, and ischemia lead to ulcers. Poor shoe selection and inadequate care worsen the situation. Lack of patient education contributes to bacterial infections, tissue necrosis, and amputation. Vigilant observation and regular care can reduce wound size and prevent new wounds. Cleansing, infection control, and pressure relief are crucial in diabetic foot treatment. In this review, the effect of selected active ingredients and natural raw materials used for topical application in the care of diabetic foot was analyzed. The main focus used was on ingredients of natural origin—research studies utilizing emollients, humectants, plant extracts, and animal-derived ingredients were discussed. In addition, research studies on the application of nanomaterials, ozone and stem cells are also discussed. The cosmetics industry and manufacturers of podiatric products play a vital role in diabetic care. They should prioritize proper formulation, optimal ingredient doses, and skin microbiome control. Educating diabetics and using cosmetic products with self-massage elements can reduce the risk of hard-to-heal ulcers.

Effect of Different Dietary Starch Inclusion Levels on Growth Performance, Glucose Metabolism, Histological Alterations and Modulation of Hepatic Gene Expressions in Genetically Improved Labeo rohita (Jayanti Rohu)

Background: Feed cost mainly constitutes 40-60% of total aquaculture production expenses, due to the inclusion of expensive animal-derived ingredients to the feed industry. Studies suggested that herbivore and omnivore fish species can consume higher level of carbohydrate (150–300 g/kg starch) as compared to carnivore fish. However, lower carbohydrate utilization in fishes is less understood till date. In the present work, It was attempted to decipher the physiological changes in genetically improved rohu (Jayanti Rohu) upon inclusion of different levels of starch in the feed regime. Methods: Three isonitrogenous (24% crude protein), isolipidic (10% ether extract) experimental diets viz. TS20 (@20% starch), TS30 (@30% starch) and TS40 (@40% starch) were formulated and fed to Jayanti Rohu fingerlings (180 number with average weight of 45±3.5 g) twice daily up to satiation level for 45 days experimental period. The growth performance, nutrient utilization, histological changes and modulation of hepatic gene expressions were evaluated after completion of experiment. Result: Results indicated significantly (p less than 0.05) increased weight gain percentage, SGR and condition factor in TS30 and TS40 as compared to TS20. The histoarchitecture of hepatic cells depicted greater cell damage with increasing levels of dietary carbohydrates. The glucose membrane transporter 2 gene and carbohydrate metabolism involved genes showed a higher expression in TS40 and TS30 compared to TS20. Therefore, the present study concluded that inclusion level of 30% starch as optimal level in the diet of genetically improved Jayanti rohu.

Effects of long-term feeding of fishmeal-free diet on growth parameters, bile acid status, and bile acid-related gene expression of yearling red sea bream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)

We evaluated the effects of long-term feeding of a fishmeal-free (FMF) diet on the growth parameters and physiological status, especially the bile acid status, of red sea bream (Pagrus major) yearlings. Two isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were prepared; a fishmeal-based diet as the control, and an FMF diet containing soybean meal, corn gluten meal, soy protein concentrate, and pea protein concentrate as plant-derived ingredients, and poultry by-product meal and feather meal as animal-derived ingredients. Six hundred red sea bream yearlings were accommodated in six net cages, and the two experimental diets were hand-fed for 36 weeks. Throughout the 36-week trial, mean body weight and feed intake were significantly lower in the FMF group than in the control group. The concentrations of serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were also significantly lower in the FMF group than in the control group throughout the trial. The total bile acid amount per fish was significantly lower in the FMF group than in the control group between Week 32 and 36 when the water temperature was the lowest (14.3–17.2 °C). Gene expression levels of hepatic cyp7a1 and cyp8b1 tended to be lower in the FMF group than in the control group from Week 20 to the end of the trial. Expression levels of hepatic sqle were higher in the FMF group than in the control group through the trial period and were markedly high at Week 36. Expression of hmgcr was also higher in the FMF group than in the control group at Week 32 and 36. The hindgut asbt expression of fish fed the FMF diet was lower than those fed the control diet at Week 28 and 32. These results suggest that the long-term feeding of an FMF diet to red sea bream yearlings causes reduced growth due to a significant reduction in feed intake and bile acid production, and enterohepatic circulation are strongly disturbed when water temperatures are low from autumn to winter.

Evaluation of Processing Conditions and Hydrocolloid Addition on Functional Properties of Aquafaba

Aquafaba, the cooking water from chickpeas, could replace animal-derived ingredients such as egg whites in systems that require the stabilization of an oil or gas phase. However, little is known about how processing methods and additives affect its functional properties. In this study, aquafaba was prepared via boiling or pressure-cooking at water-to-seed (WSR) ratios of 5:1, 4:1 and 3:1. The effects of preparation method and pH adjustment on viscosity, protein content, solubility and profile were evaluated. Samples were further analyzed for foaming capacity/stability (FC/FS) and emulsifying activity/stability index (EAI/ESI). Foams were also prepared in combination with xanthan gum or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). Solubility was lowest near pH 4 and not affected by cooking method and protein profile was not affected by method or ratio. Samples with pH 3 had high EAI and FS, but low ESI and FC. WSR did not significantly affect interfacial properties. Xanthan gum had a greater effect than HPMC on viscosity and prevented foam liquid drainage for 24 h. While the preparation method affects aquafaba properties, subsequent pH adjustment is of greater relevance for interfacial properties. Foam volumes can be maximized and foam drainage limited by appropriate choice of hydrocolloids and addition levels.

A Novel Universal Primer Multiplex Real-Time PCR (UP-M-rtPCR) Approach for Specific Identification and Quantitation of Cat, Dog, Fox, and Mink Fractions Using Nuclear DNA Sequences.

Adulteration of meat with carnivorous animals (such as cats, dogs, foxes, and minks) can cause ethical problems and lead to disease transmission; however, DNA quantitative methods for four carnivorous species in one tube reaction are still rare. In this study, a carnivore-specific nuclear DNA sequence that is conserved in carnivorous animals but has base differences within the sequence was used to design universal primers for its conserved region and corresponding species-specific probes for the hypervariable region. A novel universal primer multiplex real-time PCR (UP-M-rtPCR) approach was developed for the specific identification and quantitation of cat, dog, fox, and mink fractions in a single reaction, with a 0.05 ng absolute limit of detection (LOD) and 0.05% relative LOD. This approach simplifies the PCR system and improves the efficiency of simultaneous identification of multiple animal-derived ingredients in meat. UP-M-rtPCR showed good accuracy (0.48-7.04% relative deviation) and precision (1.42-13.78% relative standard deviation) for quantitative analysis of cat, dog, fox, and mink DNA as well as excellent applicability for the evaluation of meat samples.

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ВЛАСТИВОСТЕЙ ФУНКЦІОНАЛЬНИХ ДОБАВОК РОСЛИННОГО ПОХОДЖЕННЯ ДЛЯ МАЙОНЕЗНОЇ ПРОДУКЦІЇ

Mayonnaise and mayonnaise sauces hold a significant place in the diet of a modern person. Their production volume world-wide has a constant tendency to increase. The product range is expanding, considering the modern trends in healthy nutrition.Consumer demand for mayonnaise products with low fat content, free from animal-d erived ingredients, enriched with vitamins, trace elements, and dietary fibers, necessitates the search for new functional additives and the study of their technological prop-erties. The article presents the results of a study on the properties of vegetable fiber (cake), different fractions of crushed seeds and flour of flax, sesame, pumpkin, and their mixtures. A comprehensive thickener based on flax products is proposed.The use of plant-based functional additives in the production of low-fat mayonnaise and mayonnaise sauces allows for the enrichment of these products with a complex of beneficial nutrients and dietary fibers while contributing to the formation of a stable emulsion product.When developing recipes for water-fat emulsion products with a significant proportion of the water phase, it is necessary to consider the properties of the components, their influence on the quality of mayonnaise, and possible changes in properties during the production process. An important technological characteristic of special functional additives in low-fat mayonnaise products is their ability to retain water, thereby regulating the viscosity and consistency of the final product.Analysis of research and publications has shown that considerable attention is given to expanding the range of functional mayonnaise products (including dietary, vegan, and enriched with beneficial nutrients). Starches, pectins, microbial polysac-charides, a wide range of E-additives obtained from algae and tree resin are suggested as rheological additives in low-fat mayonnaise and mayonnaise sauces. Flour, cake, meal, and protein isolates obtained from them serve as effective thickeners.The aim of the article is to study the properties of both individual types of plant-based functional additives and their mixtures, as well as to establish the possibility of regulating a parameter such as moisture-retaining capacity for mixtures containing the same type of raw materials, including cake, flour, and crushed seeds in different ratios.The moisture-retaining capacity of the studied samples was determined using the centrifugation method. The highest moisture-retaining capacity is observed in flax seed cake (806.2%), while crushed pumpkin seeds show the lowest capacity (104.7%) due to their high fat content. The possibility of adjusting the moisture-retaining capacity parameter of mixtures of cake, flour, and crushed seeds by varying the amount of individual components in complex additives for low-fat mayonnaise was studied. A proposed recipe for eggless mayonnaise utilizes a complex based on flax products with a ratio of flax cake, flour, and crushed seeds (fraction with particle size up to 0.5 mm) of 1:1:0.5, respectively. For the produced mayonnaise with 25 % fat content and the complex functional additive, the emulsion stability indicator was determined, meeting the requirements of the relevant Ukrainian standards for mayonnaises and mayonnaise sauces.

Amino acid digestibility and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy of mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog foods using the precision-fed cecectomized and conventional rooster assays.

The pet food market is constantly changing and adapting to meet the needs and desires of pets and their owners. One trend that has been growing in popularity lately is the feeding of fresh, human-grade foods. Human-grade pet foods contain ingredients that have all been stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that complies with regulations set for human food production. While most human-grade pet foods are based on animal-derived ingredients, vegan options also exist. To our knowledge, no in vivo studies have been conducted to analyze the performance of human-grade vegan diets. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the amino acid (AA) digestibility and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy (TME n ) of mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog foods using precision-fed cecectomized rooster and conventional rooster assays. Three commercial dog foods were tested. Two were mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog diets (Bramble Cowbell diet (BC); Bramble roost diet (BR)), while the third was a chicken-based extruded dog diet (chicken and brown rice recipe diet (CT)). Prior to the rooster assays, both mildly cooked diets were lyophilized, and then all three diets were ground. Diets were fed to cecectomized roosters to determine AA digestibility, while conventional roosters were used to determine TME n . All data were analyzed using the mixed models procedure of SAS (version 9.4). The majority of indispensable and dispensable AA across all diets had digestibilities higher than 80%, with a few exceptions (BC: histidine, lysine, threonine, and valine; BR: histidine). The only difference in indispensable AA digestibility among diets was observed with tryptophan, with its digestibility being higher (P = 0.0163) in CT than in BC. TME n values were higher (P = 0.006) in BC and BR (4.55 and 4.66 kcal/g dry matter, respectively) than that in CT (3.99 kcal/g dry matter). The TME n /GE was also higher (P = 0.0193) in BR than in CT. Metabolizable energy (ME) estimates using Atwater factors accurately estimated the energy content of CT, but modified Atwater factors and the predictive equations for ME recommended by the National Research Council underestimated energy content. All calculations underestimated the measured TME n values of BC and BR, with Atwater factors being the closest. Although testing in dogs is required, these data suggest that mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog diets are well-digested. Moreover, TME n data suggest that existing methods and equations underestimate the ME of the mildly cooked human-grade vegan foods tested.

Embracing Medication Needs of Patients based on Ethical, Dietary, and Religious Preferences.

Purpose: Many patients seek medications without animal-derived ingredients for a multitude of reasons. The purpose of this comprehensive qualitative review is to assess current literature on the topic of animal-free medications and identify the roles that key stakeholders can play in addressing the needs of these patients. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar from inception to June 2022 to identify key articles surrounding the topic of animal-free ingredients and medications. Results: The need for animal-free medications impacts not just vegans and vegetarians, but also those with dietary restrictions due to other beliefs. Three key stakeholder initiatives can address the needs of these patients: 1) Healthcare professionals (HCPs) should strive to select appropriate medications considering their patients' religious and/or cultural background; 2) patients must be involved and notify their providers about their dietary requirements; 3) pharmaceutical industry and manufacturers need to consider animal-free product formulations and provide clear labeling. Conclusion: There is a rising interest in animal-free medications and several organizations and advocacy groups have raised concerns for easier access to these medications. However, more regulatory guidance or oversight is needed. For the nearly 25% animal-free medications available in the market, independent certification marks would facilitate informed consumer decision-making.

Direct lysis-multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for beef fraud substitution with chicken, pork and duck

Since the "Horsemeat Scandal" in Europe has aroused people's attention to adulteration of meat, real-time PCR method was used as gold standard to detect single animal species. However, real-time PCR requires expensive equipment, professional personnel, and fluorescent probes with specific modifications in addition to primers, which limit the practical application of this technology for multiple fraud identification. Therefore, the rapid, economical, multiple detection technology for the authenticity of animal-derived ingredients is in urgent need. In this study, a novel direct lysis-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (DL-mPCR) method is reported to simultaneously identify pork, chicken and duck adulterated in beef products within 90 min for the first time. A novel direct lysis (DL) method is employed to obtain sample DNA in a more convenient way without a high-speed centrifuge. The sample preparation step is greatly simplified compared to commercial kit method and can be completed within 15 min. Four pairs of high-specificity primers for the mitochondrial D-loop region of cattle, pig, chicken and duck were designed. The highly specific and sensitivity mPCR assay with optimal primer ratio was constructed, which could detect pork, chicken and duck down to 0.1% (w/w) in meat mixtures treated with freezing, heating and autoclaving, respectively. It was found that 27.8% of 79 commercial beef products collected in local markets contained pork or chicken to varying degrees. The accuracy of the results had been verified by standard real-time PCR. This novel approach (DL-mPCR) proved to be very reliable, time-saving and practical, especially suitable for low-resource front-line detection of meat authentication.

A Comparison of Key Essential Nutrients in Commercial Plant-Based Pet Foods Sold in Canada to American and European Canine and Feline Dietary Recommendations.

Simple SummaryPlant-based pet foods appear to be growing in popularity, but it is unclear how suitable these products are for dogs and cats, considering both species naturally consume diets rich in, or exclusively comprised of, animal tissues. Laboratory analyses of essential nutrients were performed on 26 plant-based diets available in Ontario, Canada in 2018, including 18 canine products (13 products labelled for adult maintenance, four for all life stages, one for puppy growth), 5 feline products (two for adult maintenance and three for all life stages), and 3 products labelled for both dogs and cats (one for adult maintenance and two for all life stages). The nutrient measurements were compared to industry standard nutrient profiles. Four products met the recommendations of the Association of American Feed Control Officials and one product the nutrient recommendations of the European Pet Food Industry Federation for adult dogs. No diets met recommended nutrient content for adult cats or growing puppies or kittens. Nutrients most commonly found to be insufficient were: sulfur amino acids, taurine, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA, calcium phosphorus and vitamin D. These nutrients are all typically found in animal tissues, though non-animal sources are available, and require careful formulation or supplementation in products made without animal-derived ingredients. Compliance with Canadian labelling regulation and guidelines was poor. These problems do not appear to be exclusive to plant-based foods and have been demonstrated previously in commercially available animal-based products as well. This study demonstrates areas where manufacturers of plant-based pet foods must improve formulation and/or manufacturing practices to produce products appropriate for feeding cats and dogs.Plant-based foods intended for feeding dogs and cats are available in Canada, though few studies have examined the suitability of plant-based foods for dogs and cats. All commercial plant-based extruded and wet pet food products available in Ontario, Canada, in 2018 (n = 26) were acquired and analysed for energy, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins A, B12, D2 and D3. Results were compared with recommendations of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF). Thirteen products were labelled for adult canine maintenance, four for canine all life stages, one for puppy growth, two for adult feline maintenance, three for feline all life stages, one for adult maintenance of dogs and cats and two for all life stages of dogs and cats. Four products met AAFCO and one product met FEDIAF nutrient recommendations for canine maintenance. No diets met AAFCO or FEDIAF recommendations for feline maintenance or growth for either species. Nutrients most commonly found insufficient were: sulfur amino acids, taurine, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA, calcium phosphorus and vitamin D. There were no nutrients unable to be provided from non-animal sources. Compliance with labelling guidelines was also poor, similar to other findings with commercial animal-based pet products. The results from this study indicate areas where producers of plant-based pet foods must improve to meet the industry recommended nutrient profiles and labelling requirements.

Why we should stop using animal-derived products on patients without their consent

Medicines and medical devices containing animal-derived ingredients are frequently used on patients without their informed consent, despite a significant proportion of patients wanting to know if an animal-derived product is...

Soybean meal and poultry offal meal effects on digestibility of adult dogs diets: Systematic review.

Soybean meal and poultry offal meal are protein ingredients commonly used in the formulation of commercial diets for dogs. However, there remains great variability in the data on the digestibility of each protein source. This systematic review study aimed to examine the intake, apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients and fecal output of protein sources (soybean meal and poultry offal meal) in adult dog food as reported in published studies. The article search was conducted in August 2018 in the PUBMED, SciELO, Science Direct and AGRIS indexing databases. The literature search was performed using "digestibility", "source protein" and "dog" as the main key terms combined with sub-terms to broaden the scope of the search. Criteria were defined for readability, exclusion and inclusion of articles. Results were organized in groups according to the search in the indexing databases, totaling 1,414 articles. After the works were selected following the inclusion criteria, 17 articles were evaluated in this review. According to most studies, plant-based ingredients have a less variable nutritional composition than animal-derived ingredients and poultry offal meal increases the digestibility coefficients of nutrients and energy and reduces fecal dry matter production. Factors inherent to raw-material origin, ingredient and food processing, as well as the high heterogeneity of the methodologies evaluated in the studies are directly related to the obtained results. To ensure a more accurate evaluation of the quality and of effects on the digestibility of protein sources, we recommended that articles include ingredient processing data and that the variables be evaluated under standardized study conditions.