Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat food taste test with added natural olive extract in liquid or dry
By Catherine Kokemuller et al.·Published in Pets·2025·Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, IA 50317, USA, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Feline Responses to Increasing Inclusion of Natural Olive Extract in Liquid or Dry Palatant Formulations Applied to Kibble Diets
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of adult cats was tested to see if adding olive extract to their dry food would make it more appealing. The cats were given different amounts of olive extract in their food, and the results showed that they preferred the food with 200 parts per million (ppm) of olive extract. The other amounts did not make a significant difference in how much the cats ate compared to the control food without olive extract. This suggests that olive extract can be safely added to cat kibble without making it less tasty, especially at certain levels.
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Abstract
Olive extract (OE) has been used in human foods for its nutraceutical effects, making it a product of interest for pet food. However, OE’s effect on palatability has not been examined. The study objective was to evaluate the palatability of dry cat foods with OE applied at differing inclusions within liquid or dry palatants. Twenty-seven volatile compounds were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for a potentially earthy or fruit-like flavor profile. Liquid palatants were formulated to supply 0 (control), 15, 30, 50, 75, and 150 ppm OE, and dry palatants were formulated to provide 0, 100, 200, 400, and 600 ppm OE when coated onto kibble. Palatability was evaluated using two-day, two-bowl testing of OE-containing versus control rations in adult cats (<i>n</i> = 20) with two-tailed <i>t</i>-tests to determine if OE affected intake ratio (IR). The observed IR of rations with OE were 0.45 to 0.56. The only preference was the 200 ppm treatment (IR = 0.56; <i>p</i> = 0.01) while the other OE rations were not different from the control (<i>p</i> ≥ 0.05). These findings indicate that palatant formulations can supply kibble diets with up to 150 ppm OE for liquid and 600 ppm for dry applications without negatively impacting cat food palatability.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/pets2010013