In recent years, the pet food industry has faced the challenge of the prevalence of pathogenic salmonella and E. coli in pets. And many pet food recalls have been issued because of these potential contaminants.
In a presentation at pet food forum At Europe 2024, Aleks Chopinska, Senior Innovation and NPD Manager at Rivatra, delves into the vital role that yeast can play in protecting pets from harmful bacteria and disease.
New strategies and tools to support the overall health and well-being of pets are a priority for AB Agri's alternative protein businesses Szopinska and Livatla.
“One approach that is gaining attention is the application of antiadherent compounds, such as yeast, to prevent bacterial adhesion to the intestinal wall,” said Chopinska. “Our research aims to better understand this phenomenon and apply that knowledge to further improve the functionality of yeast-based products and provide a powerful tool to prevent disease in pets. is.”
Chopinska said the company's goal is to find proteins that are not only nutritious, but also sustainable and functional, like yeast.
Future development of anti-adhesion agents
Insights gained from research have the potential to revolutionize pet food formulations, introduce effective preventive measures against bacterial infections, and improve overall pet health.
However, further research is needed.
“Further studies will be needed to establish the link between the structural features of yeast cell components and their biological activity,” said Chopinska. “Further enhancing the functional benefits of yeast as anti-adhesive agents requires targeted approaches, such as modification of cell wall properties through appropriately designed processing steps. Join our interdisciplinary research program This will allow us to better understand bacterial binding mechanisms and further new developments in this field.”
Pet food contamination problem
A review by the Journal of Food Production published in late 2023 found that contamination caused the most pet food recalls in the past 20 years. Meanwhile, salmonella and melamine-related incidents accounted for 48% of all product recalls for dogs and cats.
Recently, the industry has seen an increase in product recalls related to salmonella. That included a lawsuit against MidAmerican Pet Food Co., which claims pet owners became ill after feeding sick dogs.
