Potential of rice protein for cat food development in 2025

Like the human plant-based market, pet owners want to see more plant-based choices in pet food, with more than half of pet owners considering plant-based proteins to be better for the environment. The interest in protein sources and environmental concerns look set to continue into 2025 and beyond, so how can cat food producers address these with their formulations?

While the use of vegetal proteins for plant-based or hybrid diets is becoming increasingly accepted by dog food producers and buyers, their use in cat food is not currently as popular. In this article, I explain why including vegetal proteins and rice protein more specifically provides attractive opportunities for cat food producers now and in the years ahead.

CONSUMER PURCHASING DRIVERS FOR CAT FOOD
Research shows that “high in protein” is the top ingredient claim to impact the likelihood of a consumer buying a pet food product, with 7 in 10 cat owners citing protein quality and content in their cat’s food as (very) important to them.ⁱ Also, there is a growing tension for some cat owners concerning the environmental credentials of the pet food they’re purchasing. Like the human plant-based market, pet owners want to see more plant-based choices in pet food, with more than half of pet owners considering plant-based proteins to be better for the environment.ⁱⁱ The interest in protein sources and environmental concerns look set to continue into 2025 and beyond, so how can cat food producers address these with their formulations?

CARNIVORE CAT PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS
Including high-quality vegetal proteins with nutritional benefits into cat food formulations offers manufacturers great potential to meet consumer demand, especially given that cats have higher protein and amino acids requirements in their diet, in comparison to dogs for example.ⁱⁱⁱ However, they are obligate carnivores. This means that they traditionally rely on nutrients found in animal tissue to meet their nutritional needs and have bodies adapted to efficiently process them. With specific dietary requirements that must be met through animal-based sources’ consumption, cats unlike some other animals, cannot thrive on a fully plant-based diet without specific supplements.¹ Nonetheless, regardless of their carnivorous status, several studies suggest that vegetal proteins are quite digestible for cats and can therefore have a role to play in cat food production.

DIGESTIBILITY OF PLANT PROTEIN
While there is concern in the cat food space that plant proteins are not as well tolerated or digestible as animal proteins, recent scientific research suggests interesting potential.iv A case in point is a study by Golder et al 2020v with 296 healthy short hair domestic cats, that showed that the more plant protein that was included in dry cat food, the higher the protein digestibility amongst the cats in that sample group. The research also demonstrated that plant proteins are a satisfactory source for meeting the amino acid needs of pets, without compromising protein digestibility.

THE POTENTIAL OF RICE PROTEIN
Among plant-based ingredients, rice is perceived as the most appealing source by cat owners, with 92% of them considering it as natural and 89% as healthy.^vi Including rice protein in a cat’s food offers interesting opportunities for manufacturers. It allows for an increase of protein content in the final product, while using a natural, clean label and hypoallergenic ingredient, that also offers good digestibility and has an excellent essential amino acid profile.

In a recent study (Morris et al 2023^vii), 24 healthy adult cats were given test diets with increasing amounts of rice protein concentrate (0%, 7% 14% and 28%) in exchange for hydrolysed chicken liver and heart. All the diets had a similar level of total protein. The results showed that when the rice protein concentrate was increased, then protein digestibility was enhanced too. In addition, there was excellent taste acceptance of the food and an improvement of faeces characteristics, such as firmness and form. The study demonstrates that rice protein represents an excellent complementary protein source that is even suitable for cats with food sensitivities.

AMINO ACID PROFILE OF RICE PROTEIN
Next to its digestibility, a protein’s essential amino acid profile is a key factor for pet food manufacturers to consider when creating new formulations. These organic compounds contribute to numerous metabolic functions including maintenance and immune responses and as such, it is valuable that the protein source used in the pet food has a well-balanced amino acid profile. Among plant proteins, rice protein has the highest essential amino acids (EAA) content. Furthermore, rice protein is also a good source of the EAA methionine/cysteine, that are important for protein synthesis and phenylalanine/tyrosine that are involved in some major metabolic processes, as well as supporting a pet’s normal growth. Phenylalanine and tyrosine are aromatic amino acids that play a role in the melanin synthesis pathway and help maintain the healthy-looking black fur colour in pets.^vii Pet food producers can achieve a complete essential amino acids profile by combining cereal proteins like rice protein (which are low in the EAA lysine) with a legume protein, such as BENEO’s faba bean protein concentrate.^ix

BENEO’S RICE PROTEIN SPECIALTY INGREDIENT
For pet food producers thinking of adding a plant-based protein option in their ingredient portfolio, rice protein is a clean label quality ingredient, included in the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials.^x BENEO’s rice protein offers a guaranteed protein content of a minimum 79% on product basis and almost 90% on dry matter basis, making it a highly concentrated source of protein. When BENEO’s rice protein EAA profile is compared against the requirements of adult cats^xi, it delivers a well-balanced profile and what is required to promote long-term health. According to a recent internal digestibility trial in cecectomized roosters – a recommended animal model for pets – BENEO’s rice protein reaches (ileal) digestibility scores close to 90%, confirming its good digestibility and overall high quality. Especially in adult cats, it has shown DIAAS-like² scores >100% compared to FEDIAF reference and no limiting amino acid. In addition, this hypoallergenic, clean label ingredient is free from the most frequent food allergens^xii, making it suitable for the most sensitive cats, like seniors or kittens, as well as cats with allergies. Thanks to exceptional nutritional assets and its overall excellent acceptance by pet owners, BENEO’s rice protein can fulfil the most demanding and specific requirements of (super) premium or veterinary dry and wet cat food products.

BENEO’s rice protein is produced in a state-of-the-art and food-certified rice ingredient plant in Wijgmaal, Belgium, from non-GMO raw material sources. It is processed in alkaline conditions, and this is important because alkaline production is associated with a high digestibility of proteins.^xiii BENEO continuously strives for more sustainable production processes at the site, for example by identifying equipment and technologies that allow CO₂ emission reductions. Also, thanks to having approved suppliers in multiple countries and a strategic raw material inventory, BENEO’s rice protein supply security can be ensured.

The interest in vegetal protein sources for plant-based and hybrid diets looks set to continue in 2025 amongst dog food producers and to expand even further into the cat food arena. With BENEO’s rice protein capable of delivering essential amino acids, good digestibility, hypoallergenicity and clean label credentials, it makes an interesting addition to any producer’s ingredient toolbox, whilst opening up attractive recipe formulation development opportunities in the years ahead.

¹Examples for essential nutrients only found in animal sources that need to be supplemented in vegetarian diets for cats include taurine (an amino acid) and arachidonic acid (a fatty acid). (Source: FEDIAF, https://europeanpetfood.org/pet-food-facts/fact-sheets/nutrition/vegetarian-diets/)
²The Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) is a method for evaluating the quality of dietary proteins. It measures the content and digestibility of each indispensable amino acid in a protein source, with a focus on the limiting amino acid (the one present in the smallest amount relative to the body’s requirements).

References
ⁱBENEO Consumer Research on Pet Care 2023. FMCG Gurus conducted a quantitative online survey in August 2023 with 2.500 pet owners in the US, Brazil, UK, Germany, and China (250 cat and 250 dog owners per country). Here: filtered by cat owners.
ⁱⁱBENEO Consumer Research on Pet Care 2023.
ⁱⁱⁱFEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs, October 2021. Updated-Nutritional-Guidelines.pdf (europeanpetfood.org)
^ivReilly LM, von Schaumburg PC, Hoke JM, Davenport GM, Utterback PL, Parsons CM and de Godoy MRC (2020). Use of precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay and digestible indispensable amino acid scores to characterize plant- and yeast-concentrated proteins for inclusion in canine and feline diets. Translational animal science, 4(3), txaa133. https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaa133
^vGolder C, Weemhoff JL, Jewell DE. Cats Have Increased Protein Digestibility as Compared to Dogs and Improve Their Ability to Absorb Protein as Dietary Protein Intake Shifts from Animal to Plant Sources. Animals. 2020; 10(3):541. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10030541
^viBENEO Consumer Research on Pet Care 2023. Filter: Cat Owners (N = 1250). Q. Please state how strongly you associate rice with the following attributes [natural, healthy]? Percentage refers to the answers “Fits very well” / “Fits slightly”
^viiMorris E, Perumalla S, Stiers C and Gross K (2023) Rice protein concentrate is a well-accepted, highly digestible protein source for adult cats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10:1168659. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1168659
^viiiYu S, Rogers QR, Morris JG (2001). Effect of low levels of dietary tyrosine on the hair colour of cats. Journal of Small Animal Practice 42(4):176-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2001.tb01798.x
^ixCommission Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 of 16 January 2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials – Faba bean protein concentrate is listed under entry 3.7.5: “Horse bean protein”
^xCommission Regulation (EU) 2017/1017 of 15 June 2017, Rice protein is included under entry 1.6.20
^xiFEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs, 2021
https://europeanpetfood.comingsoon.site/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Updated-Nutritional-Guidelines.pdf
^xiiMueller RS, Olivry T and Prélaud P. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Vet Res 12, 9 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0633-8
^xiiiYang L, Chen J, Xu T, Qiu W, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Xu F, Liu H (2011). Rice protein extracted by different methods affects cholesterol metabolism in rats due to its lower digestibility. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 12(11), 7594-7608. doi: 10.3390/ijms12117594

About Dr. Maygane Ronsmans
Dr. Maygane Ronsmans holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Veterinary Sciences. After working for a few years at an international biotech company, she joined the BENEO Animal Nutrition Department in 2019 as Product Manager. In this role she is responsible for offering technical support regarding BENEO’s products and co-products for customers and colleagues in animal nutrition markets worldwide. BENEO is active in Petfood, Aquafeed and Livestock Nutrition markets.