Creating New Pet Food Flavors
While people have long been concerned with the flavors that they put into their foods, it is only in recent years that an increasing number of flavor companies have turned their sights on the pet food industry. However, the flavoring of pet foods can be important in creating healthy foods and treats for our furry friends. Pet food flavors are more complex than some might imagine, and it is important to consider how pet food flavors can affect an animal’s health. This is especially true as different pet foods hit the market featuring vegetarian-compliant ingredients, or that are designed in order to maintain a pet’s health and aid pet owners in keeping their dog or cat at a healthy weight.
It is important for pet owners to know what is in their pets’ food. Increasingly, pet owners have been turning to healthier pet food products that use more natural ingredients. Additionally, there is now greater awareness than ever of pet allergies and sensitivities, which are making many pet owners turn to alternative sources of proteins – something which can come with the added side effect of a vastly different flavor profile that pets are not used to. Quality flavor ingredients can help to alter the taste of a pet food and make it more palatable to a pet, especially if it is a finicky eater. Likewise, it can make pet food tastier and healthier, as pet food companies no longer have to turn to fats and other high-calorie ingredients to make pet foods appealing to our furry friends.
Common pet food additions include savory or meaty flavor profiles, such as those offered by some Pyrazines and Sulfur Compounds, as well as Natural Extracts, such as onion and garlic. Nutty flavors, buttery flavors, and faux chocolate flavors are also a great addition to pet food treats such as dog biscuits and chewy snacks. In addition to these traditional pet foods, new pet food products have hit the market that may require flavor ingredients that have until now not been common in the pet food industry. “Doggy” ice creams may include fruity flavors, which must be carefully chosen to help mask some of the other ingredients that go into these pet foods. Overall, pet food flavors remain a little blander than those of human foods so as not to have detrimental effects on sensitive stomachs, but many companies are largely moving away from the flavors of the past to incorporate a range of tasty additions to pet foods.
Amid growth in other flavor markets, it is not surprising that the pet food industry is growing as well. Those in the flavor industry should bear in mind that they might be seeing more work in the pet food market than ever before. There are more options than ever for those looking for quality flavor ingredients for pet food products. Owners who are strict about the quality of ingredients that go into their own foods can now be just as confident about the quality of ingredients that go into their pets’ foods.