ARTICLE 38 Alternative Proteins Magazine April 2024 “Added to pet food recipes, mealworm-based products help pet food product meet the nutritional recommendations set by the AAFCO and the FEDIAF, with a balanced, rich, high-quality ingredient. Mealworms could be the one-size-fit-all solution to premium, high-protein pet food diets, full of interesting minerals.” More than ever, consumers expect transparency and quality around the food they feed their animals. Pet diets remain under scrutiny as recipes boast premium ingredients and reduced unwanted additives. Many look to the ash content in a meal as a marker of protein-quality as it provides a measure of the inorganic matter of a feed material, that comes from bone, cartilage, tendons. The lower the ash level, the better quality of food. Ash levels are often a limiting factor of high-protein inclusion in pet food recipes. Full of a valuable mix of minerals that fit nutritional needs, Sprÿng’s mealworm-based ingredients are particularly attractive because they combine high protein levels with a low ash content. ASH, A LIMITING FACTOR OF HIGH-PROTEIN INCLUSION IN PET FOOD RECIPES Crude ash provides a measure of the inorganic matter or total mineral content of a feed material, such as phosphorous, calcium, zinc and iron1. It depicts a rough estimate of the amount of mineral present in a diet while being less complex and expensive to measure than individual minerals. Indeed, the ash content is calculated based on the remaining percentage of food left after combustion. Ash can originate from mineral additives added to the product, but oftentimes, it comes from animal and fish bones, cartilage, tendons and the like that have been ground into the meat meal. As such, high ash contents are often perceived as a measure of these low-value materials with low digestibility. Many look to ash as the key to understanding if a higher quality protein is being used in the making of a dog or cat food. Pet food producers take great consideration in the ash content of their ingredients and end-products. While official recommendations advocate diets with less than 10% of ash, the average ash content of most commercial dog foods appears to be about 5-8 percent, with higher meat recipes averaging ash levels closer to 10%2. Dry pet foods, especially those that contain higher protein concentrations and more meat meals in the ingredient list, are usually higher in ash than canned foods3. The ash content is often a limiting factor of high-protein inclusion in pet food recipes but also tends to be used as a marker of protein-quality. Sprÿng ingredients are MEALWORMS: LOW ASH CONTENT WITH AN INTERESTING MINERAL PROFILE FOR PET FOOD RECIPES Dr. Lorena Sanchez Scientific Project Manager Sprÿng Powered by Ynsect
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