Oxidation affects the organoleptic and nutritional quality of all aging pet foods. Monitoring relevant oxidation compounds and residual antioxidant levels in a product, in real time or accelerated studies, is the most pertinent way to properly assess oxidative stability over time.
Just like you, food products cannot escape the effect of time. Cheese and wine improve with age; however, this is unfortunately not the case for pet food.
Between the time a kibble comes out of the extruder and the time it lands in Kitty’s plate, several months can elapse. During this journey, the inevitable oxidation attack can affect nutritional properties and turn nice poultry scent to rancid smell, which is far less pleasing.
Pet food manufacturers thus need to be aware of and master the oxidative stability of their product to ensure it stays nutritious and appealing to Kitty, and her Human.
What are the methods to assess pet food oxidative stability? What are the oxidation markers to track?”
Follow the link to learn how to measure pet food oxidation over time.