AAFCO:
AKA: Association of American Feed Control Officials
WHAT: Identify, study, and develop strategies involving feed and the industry.Provide advice, guidance, and develop standards to promote uniformity and consistency. It is not an enforcement agency.
(paraphrase of AAFCO Official Publication)
WHO: Representitives of feed manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and feed control officials from the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica.
WHY: Fulfills an influential role with food regulations; such as nutritional adequacy statements, definitions, feed protocols, and working with governemental agencies such as the FDA, USDA, and the Pet Food Institute, as well as many others.
WHERE: The Americas
AGAR:
WHAT: A gelatinous extract from any of several species of red alga.
HOW: It is extracted by boiling and filtration.
WHY: It is used as a gelling agent in canned foods. It helps to create a uniform appearance and to help the food hold its form. Used as an alternative to carrageenan.
WHERE: The variety of species of red seaweed agar is found in oceans around the world.
AKA: Agar-Agar
ANIMAL DIGEST:
WHAT: A protein in the form of a liquid, powder or sometimes a paste broken down from larger pieces in to peptides (smaller protein building blocks, amino acids connected by bonds). This can be any mammal or poultry, but usually found in a production setting.
HOW: Can be produced via chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis and water. Temperature, pH, and an agent (enzymes like pepsin or chemicals like Sodium hydroxide) break the big pieces in to little pieces, filter out the impurities and decide the texture for the final product.
WHY: Digests add protein to a food product, although a number of the amino acids have been denatured. They also are used to enhance the flavor of a product, usually by spraying onto a food like a kibble.
WHERE: Animal digest is produced in countries around the world.
AKA: Digests can have specific animal names attached to them.For example; if they are labeled “poultry digest” they must only have ingredients sourced from poultry.
BIOTIN:
WHAT: A water soluble vitamin in the B vitamin family. It is found in a wide range of food sources and as a synthetic supplement.
HOW: Liver, eggs, and salmon are the best sources of dietary biotin. In some herbivores, direct consumption of their own gut bacteria provide many of the B vitamins, including biotin.
WHY: It helps in metabolizing a variety of fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids. It also helps with cell functions.
WHERE: Found worldwide in many food sources.
AKA: Vitamin B7
BREWERS DRIED YEAST:
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BREWERS RICE:
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CALCIUM SULFATE:
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CHICKEN FAT:
WHAT: A substance extracted from the processing of the flesh and skin with or without the accompanying bone of the named animal, in this case chicken. It is made up of primarily triglycerides of fatty acids and absent of protein and most water.
HOW: Obtained during the rendering process. Low temperature rendering provides the highest yield of fat which is then further filtered and processed to increase purity and quality.
WHY: Chicken Fat is used as a primary energy source, a source of Omega 6 fatty acids and as a flavor enhancer.
WHERE: Chicken is typically sourced from farms nearest to the processing plant. Chicken, is an extraordinarily common agricultural livestock animal used worldwide for both human and as a by-product of that production, a food source for companion animal consumption.
AKA: N/A
CHOLINE CHLORIDE:
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CORN GLUTEN MEAL:
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DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE:
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DRIED EGG PRODUCT:
WHAT: Egg Product is an egg removed from its shell prior to consumption. It will not include any shell outside of what is unavoidable in good processing practice. It is dried before inclusion in pet food.
HOW: Breaker plants (factories), take the eggs with imperfections that make them undesireable for the carton at the grocery store. They are then cracked and processed without shell. The egg can be kept liquid, or frozen or dried depending on where it is being shipped.
WHY: Egg Product is a significant source of non-plant based protein and fat. In dried form, it is a highly concentrated source of these nutrients as well as all essential amino acids.
WHERE: Nearly all egg product is sourced in the United States with a small amount imported from Canada.
AKA: N/A
ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM:
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FISH OIL:
WHAT: Oil from the clean, ground, undecomposed whole fish and/ or fish cuttings. Will be from multiple fish species unless otherwise stated.
(paraphrase from the AAFCO 2020 Official Publication)
HOW: Obtained during the rendering process. Low temperature rendering provides the highest yield of fat which is then further filtered and processed to increase purity and quality.
WHY: Fish Oil is a primary source of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also contributes a secondary ingredient through the preservatives that are required to be included as part of the shipping of this product to manufacturers. It could be an artificial preservative or an antioxidant of vitamin E or vitamin C.
WHERE: Fish oil as a non-specific ingredient means that fish ingredients from around the world are possibly a part of this product. Typically the most common fish used are small, cold water fish, such as anchovy and sardine.
AKA: N/A
FLAXSEED:
WHAT: In pet food the term flaxseed can be used to represent either the fibrous portion of the plant, specifically the seeds, or the extracted oil. Generally, the ingredient panel listing will state which is used.
HOW: The oil from Flaxseed is typically extracted through cold pressing. After the oil is extracted the seeds can then be finely ground to make meal.
WHY: It is used to increase the levels of Omega 6 fatty acids and the Omega 3 precursor Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA). It is also, often used in its seed form as a source of protein, fiber and an energy source from fat.
WHERE: A large portion of flaxseed production takes place in cool climates with long daylight periods. The Canadian interior and the Northern Plains States of the United States are major producers of this crop.
AKA: LINSEED, LINUM USITATISSIMUM