A small family owned company who produce the highest quality fully balanced complete working dog foods at affordable prices.
HEALTHY COLD PRESSED DOG FOOD
Manufactured by Healthy Dog Food Ltd
Healthy Dog Food Ltd wishes to present an educational poster on Acrylamide and similar carcinogens in the dog and cat foods sector.
Summary – The recognition of Acrylamide and similar amides derived from the overheating of food nutrients have been reviewed in the press for human food stuffs but little has been reported for dogfood’s that are also prepared by similar but much higher temperature methods.
Healthy Dog Food Ltd wishes to present an educational poster on Acrylamide and similar carcinogens in the dog and cat foods sector.
Summary – The recognition of Acrylamide and similar amides derived from the overheating of food nutrients have been reviewed in the press for human food stuffs but little has been reported for dogfood’s that are also prepared by similar but much higher temperature methods.
The pet food industry expanded in the last few decades by using high temperature extruders that produce stable solid matrices of starch and
proteins similar to the process used for many starchy snacks and breakfast cereals. The extrusion process is typically above 130 degrees Celsius and is followed by further high temperature drying often in excess of 250 degrees Celsius. Cooked kibbles are exposed to their temperatures, often up to three times, pest kill, mould kill and reworks.
The formulations include meat meals which have already been treated at high temperatures to reduce the risk of disease spread from uncooked animal products out of the human food chain, plus starchy ingredients like cereals, potato or sweet potato. Also of note is the general application onto hot extruded kibbles of an external “palatant gravy” derived from an industrial hydrolysis of soft tissue animal proteins by acid and/or protease enzyme, followed by a boiling to encourage attractive Maillard products.
Many pet food’s have been formulated to be more energy and protein dense in the last 10 years or so, which has the advantage of requiring less food being needed per animal day and hence requiring less space for storage and distribution.
However, the dense diets mean more concentrated mixes and a greater likelihood of unnecessary reactions e.g. oxidation of nutrients and amide-formulation.
The cooking process is known to encourage reactions between many chemicals in the pet food blends such as protein reacting with carbohydrates and fats producing Maillard reaction, products of which Acrylamide and its breakdown chemical Glycidamide are examples.
It is thought that the natural amino acid, asparagine, is one of the main reactants with sugar. Asparagine is present in most proteins and has an amide group which sits outside of the typical primary amino acid chain meaning it is potentially free to react with other reactants forming Amadori products. Ingredients with high levels of asparagine plus a carbohydrate source like asparagus and potato products have been specifically implicated in acrylamide production if heated to a high temperature. Acrylamide and its metabolite, glycimide are genotoxic and carcinogenic. They damage DNA and cause cancer. Heritable damage at gene and chromosomal level, capable of causing mutations. It is known that dogs and cats, on a kibble alone diet may be eating over 122 times more Acrylamide than found in the average, healthy human diet and 5 times the maximum level of 2.6 micrograms/kg of body weight per human per day to avoid possible cancers from Acrylamide.
Healthy Dog Food Ltd has been formulated using a ‘low temperature’ pelleting processing of below 50 degrees Celsius, yet maintaining a similar nutritional makeup to ensure it is a ‘complete feeding stuff’ as defined by the UK petfood manufacturers association and international organisations such as AAFCO and FEDIAF. The lower temperature employed leads to much less vitamin, mineral and trace elements loss and lower concentrations of Maillard reaction products.
Healthy Dog Food Ltd also uses precooked cereals, this means that the starch is well digested and not reacted with other pet food ingredients i.e. its protein and sugars are less likely to react together.
Results from testing at the UK Governments Laboratories – FERA, have given the following initial results and from these we can see a pattern… Exposure to super heating via steam and flame dryers causes Acrylamide. Dogs and cats may be dying early due to cancer caused by Acrylamide, obtained by eating a daily diet of overheated foods.
Healthy Dog Food Ltd produced 5 tons of raw material to its own formulation. 2.5 tons was pelleted by Healthy Dog Food and the remaining 2.5 tons was extruded into kibbles. Samples were taken throughout each process and mixed to give an average sample of each which was then presented to FERA for analysis to ascertain the level of Acrylamide in each.
FERA is a top-level UK Government backed laboratory. FERA analysis results are staggering and show very clearly that the extrusion system used to produce dog and cat food is providing a daily diet which is extremely overloaded with Acrylamide. (See the page THE TRUTH)
There are no recommended daily safe level dosage figures available for dogs and cats regarding Acrylamide. However, the highest safe daily limit for a human is 2.6 μg per kilo of body weight per day to avoid cancers.
The FDA has been warning the producers of extruded dog and cat food, around the world, of the dangers in over heating during the process, all warnings have been ignored. Ignored because the extrusion manufacturers are unable to lower the temperatures within the process or the product wouldn’t flow, nor form the shapes or texture required. Also, production would be halved and be no longer viable.
Ironically, the first extruders in the dry dog and cat food market were very health, COLD EXTRUSION, as healthy as cold pressed pellets, zero Acrylamide possibly!! Cold extrusion was a slow process like pelleting is today. When cold extrusion entered the pet trade here in the UK, some 35 years ago, the shapes were poor and certain foods couldn’t be used. However, todays models are in a totally different place and are an alternative to hot extrusion.
The pet food industry is fully aware of the high levels of Acrylamide being produced by overheating; they are aware of the growing concerns within the public sector regarding over exposure of Acrylamide to our pets. When or even how will they lesson the risk, do they test any of their batches for Acrylamide? If not why aren’t they? All dry kibble for dogs and cats should declare the level of Acrylamide in their foods on their packaging, giving pet owners options.
Acrylamide and its breakdown chemical Glycidamide and AGE’s (advanced glycation end-products) are all produced during the Maillard reaction from the high heat-processing of extrusion and drying. AGE’s are associated with various age-related diseases, diabetes, cataract, osteo-arthritis, vascular disfunction, atherosclerosis and pro-inflammatory responses.
Healthy Dog Food Ltd, as a manufacturer of healthy dog food seeks your help in doing the right thing for our pets, we just want the industry to put dogs and cats before profit, provide an every day safe to eat healthy food.
