ARTICLE 32 Alternative Proteins Magazine October 2024 ated when applying them in pet food. This includes potential allergic reactions, contamination risks during production, stability and shelf-life concerns and the ability to meet the nutritional needs of cats and dogs in a specific recipe. INSECT INGREDIENTS' EFFECT ON PALATABILITY Another important factor and key to the success of a diet is “palatability”. Palatability is a critical factor in pet food acceptance. Cats are notoriously picky eaters, and their willingness to consume food is influenced by its taste, aroma, and texture. Therefore, understanding how insect protein affects these sensory attributes is essential. Insects have unique flavor profiles that can vary significantly between species. For instance, crickets have a nutty taste, while mealworms can be more neutral. These flavors can be both an advantage and a challenge when formulating palatable pet foods. Edible insects were first promoted as a sustainable method for food waste bioconversion, and it seems this practice is already implemented in Asia. However, how the heterogeneity of food waste sources affect fat oxidation, flavor and palatability of the final insect meal for pets is not well understood. To maintain or improve palatability, manufacturers use flavor enhancers, fats, and other ingredients to mask or complement the natural taste of insect protein. For example, adding chicken fat or liver flavor can make insect-based pet food more appealing. Currently there is limited reliable research on palatability of insects in pet foods, but we expect more long-term research to be done in the coming years to allow a standard and better evaluation of this factor. However, we could find in the literature some interesting palatability studies thanks to a review done by Bosch and Swanson.15 Some studies found that regarding palatability of insects, dogs and cats showed different preferences depending on the insect species and the inclusion rate of the insect ingredients. In 2018, Beynen reported that dogs showed a preference for dry foods containing black soldier fly larvae meal over those with yellow mealworm meal (intake ratio of 60:40; n=10), whereas cats preferred the yellow mealworm-based food (40:60; n=10). Both insect meals represented 30% of the total crude protein in these diets.16 In 2020 Kilburn et al. showed that a banded cricket meal inclusion rate of 8, 16 or 24% in extruded pet foods did not affect the intake in dogs (n=8).17 Regarding cats’ palatability, Paßlack and Zentek published in 2018 that 3 out of 10 cats had refused a food
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