Unconventional diets for dogs and cats

spotlight topic:

6. Novel ingredients

Published 15 August 2022 | Updated 4 November 2024

The term novel protein is used to describe protein sources that are not considered part of a conventional diet. There is currently significant interest in the use of insects as a sustainable protein source although clinical research in this area is currently limited.

Helland, O.B., Andreassen, L.V., Fischer, A.S., Gudbrandsen, O.A. (2024) Effect of dietary intake of marine ingredients on the circulating total of cholesterol concentration in domestic dogs: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.14045
Baptista da Silva, C. et al. (2024) Assessing pet owners’ willingness to embrace insects in pet food. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.14019
Mikulec, A.T. et al. (2024) Attitudes and purchase intentions of polish university students towards food made from insects—A modelling approach. PLOS ONE, 19 (3), e0300871. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300871
Kim, H.S. et al. (2024) Evaluation of soybean ingredients in pet foods applications: Systematic review. Animals, 14 (1), no. 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010016
Bosch, G. et al. (2014) Protein quality of insects as potential ingredients for dog and cat foods. Journal of Nutritional Science, 3. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2014.23
Bosch, G. and Swanson, K.S. (2021) Effect of using insects as feed on animals: pet dogs and cats. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 7 (5), pp. 795-805. https://doi.org/10.3920/JIFF2020.0084
Kępińska-Pacelik, J. and Biel, W. (2022) Insects in pet food industry—Hope or threat? Animals, 12 (12), p. 1515. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12121515
Valdés, F. et al. (2022) Insects as feed for companion and exotic pets: A current trend. Animals, 12 (11), p. 1450. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111450
Insect-based ingredients in pet food [PFMA] [online]. Available from: https://www.pfma.org.uk/insect-based-ingredients-in-pet-food [accessed 12 August 2022]

For those interested in learning more about insects as a potential food source: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. Wageningen Academic Publishers, ISSN: 2352-4588. Available from: https://www.wageningenacademic.com/loi/jiff [accessed 12 August 2022]

Unconventional diets for dogs and cats – Novel proteins