Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Legumes and yeast as new protein in dog food diets
By Reilly, Lauren M et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·Department of Animal Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of Legumes and Yeast as Novel Dietary Protein Sources in Extruded Canine Diets.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of ten healthy female beagles, around 4 years old, were fed different diets to see how well they digested various plant-based protein sources like garbanzo beans, green lentils, and dried yeast. The study found that all diets were highly digestible, with no negative effects on the dogs' health or fecal quality. In fact, the diet with dried yeast produced the highest levels of beneficial fatty acids in their feces. Overall, these plant-based proteins could be good options for dog food without harming digestion or health.
People also search for: dog food with plant-based protein · beagle diet options · benefits of dried yeast in dog food
Abstract
The popularity of plant-based protein sources has increased as consumer demand for grain-free and novel protein sources increase. Minimal research has been conducted as regards to use of legumes and yeast and their effects on acceptability and digestibility in canine diets. The objective of this study was to evaluate macronutrient apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), gastrointestinal tolerance, and fermentative end-products in extruded, canine diets. Five diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous with either garbanzo beans (GBD), green lentils (GLD), peanut flour (PFD), dried yeast (DYD), or poultry by-product meal (CON) as the primary protein sources. Ten adult, intact, female beagles (mean age: 4.2 ± 1.1 yr, mean weight: 11.9 ± 1.3 kg) were used in a replicated, 5 × 5 Latin square design with 14 d periods. Each experimental period consisted of 10 d of diet adaptation, followed by 4 d of total fecal and urine collection. A fasted, 5 ml blood sample was collected at the end of each period and analyzed for serum metabolites and complete blood count. Serum metabolites were within normal ranges and all dogs remained healthy throughout the study. Fecal quality, evaluated on a 5-point scale, was considered ideal. Macronutrient ATTD was similar among dietary treatments, with diets highly digestible (>80%). Total fecal branched-chain fatty acid concentrations were highest (< 0.05) for DYD (23.4 μmol/g) than GLD (16.1 μmol/g) and PFD (16.0 μmol/g) but not different (> 0.05) than other treatments. The plant-based protein treatments had greater (< 0.05) total fecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations (average 627.6 μmol/g) compared with CON (381.1 μmol/g). Fecal butyrate concentration was highest (< 0.05) for DYD than all other dietary treatments (103.9 μmol/g vs. average 46.2 μmol/g). Fecal microbial communities showed, andas abundant phyla. There was greater β-diversity for dogs fed DYD which differed from all other diets in both weighted and unweighted UNIFRAC analyses. Inclusion of these novel, plant-based, protein sources showed no detrimental effects on nutrient digestibility or fecal characteristics and represent viable protein sources in canine diets that can produce beneficial shifts in fecal metabolites.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34150888/