ISSUE FOCUS 38 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2025 “The science of pet food palatability lies in balancing functionality with sensory performance. Dogs and cats rely predominantly on olfactory perception to evaluate feed, whereas humans associate quality with freshness, clean aroma, and an overall pleasant feeding environment. This creates a dual requirement: strong palatability cues for pets, paired with controlled, refined aroma for human handlers.” THE DUAL CHALLENGE OF PET FOOD DESIGN Modern pet food development blends advanced nutrition with behavioural and sensory science. While balanced formulations based on proteins, grains and essential nutrients support health and performance, they do not automatically guarantee one decisive factor - voluntary intake driven by palatability. To stimulate appetite and encourage consistent feeding behaviour, producers have long relied on palatability enhancers such as digests - hydrolyzed animal proteins delivering intense meaty cues that are naturally appealing to dogs and cats. Yet while these compounds strongly attract pets, their characteristic odour can be perceived as unpleasant in production environments and home feeding situations. Today’s pet owners expect food that delivers high acceptance for pets while remaining pleasant and manageable for humans. This shift is accelerating demand for a new generation of palatability solutions - technologies designed not only to drive feed intake, but also to refine and balance aroma perception. PetArom systems operate both as palatant modulators and aroma harmonizers, optimizing sensory cues for pets while reducing human-perceived offnotes from digest-based formulations. Designed to support high palatability with a refined aroma profile, the PetArom portfolio - including PetArom Beef P - represents the next generation of palatability enhancement: scientifically grounded, species-adapted, and developed to deliver flavour enjoyment for pets and sensory comfort for their owners. FROM NUTRITIONAL BALANCE TO SENSORY ENJOYMENT The science of palatability lies in balancing functionality with sensory performance. Dogs and cats rely predominantly on olfactory perception to evaluate feed, whereas humans associate quality with freshness, clean aroma, and an overall pleasant feeding environment. This creates a dual requirement: Balancing Taste and Acceptance: ENHANCING PET FOOD PALATABILITY Dr. Anne Winkler Global Product Manager Flavours & Sweeteners Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH
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