Each month the Petfood Industry E-newsletter will bring you the latest market data available from several different sources including Euromonitor, Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and ACNielsen.

Today's market research data chart comes to you from: ACNielsen

Wet dog food innovation may revive market
Beneful Brand Prepared Dog Food might just knock the wet dog food industry out of its lull. According to Euromonitor analyst Elizabeth Higgins, the Beneful prepared food brand is expected to revive the stagnant wet dog food sector with much needed innovation in flavor, freshness, and packaging. “The product makes the consumer feel as if they are cooking a meal for their dog,” says Higgins. Globally, wet dog food 1998-2005 period growth was a low 1.7% with dry dog food at a strong 6.2%. Higgins notes that the innovative packaging with a see through view to the food attracts attention, displaying to consumers the freshness of the product and the appeal it will have to their canine companions.

For more information about Euromonitor International's petfood research or to purchase reports online, click here.

E-news

Proving the ROI of RFID
Three technology companies have joined together to propel radio frequency identification (RFID) applications forward. OATSystems, ADT Security Systems and Intel are paying for technology implementation to win grocery retailers over to RFID investment. Grocers are hesitant to engage RFID technology. The up-front costs are too great and the pay-off uncertain. So ADT is contributing RFID readers and antennas, OAT is adding middleware and Intel is offering server processors to remove one of grocers' barriers to track in-store promotions with this emerging technology.

The three vendors and consumer packaged goods manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble have put out a call for retailers to participate in a six-month trial in which they'll show that sell-through of one additional product per store pays for the technology. The data will allow suppliers to plan smarter promotions and retailers to increase sell-through.

In a study of Wal-Mart's RFID program, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found a 19% increase in promotional sales attributable to RFID tags, readers and data analysis. This trial aims to help CPG suppliers and retailers increase sales, decrease marketing costs and increase shopper satisfaction. ROI will also appear in the information value of the RFID data. Infrastructure will be in place next month, and the RFID-tracked promotions will run through the holidays, with results released in the first quarter of 2007.

Product news

Spray-dried cooked chicken liver
American Dehydrated Foods, Inc. (ADF) sources their fresh chicken livers from USDA-inspected food facilities. ADF offers spray-dried cooked chicken liver with a choice of natural or other antioxidants, containing a minimum fat content of 20% and minimum 56% protein. Other liver options for the formulator include a spray-dried cooked chicken liver and chicken blend for a higher fat content and chicken for your label; a spray-dried cooked pork liver with a minimum 60% protein; and an “Allergen Free” Spray-Dried Chicken Liver Hydrolysate. All ADF products are shelf stable up to one year.

Inclusion or application of a spray-dried liver product from ADF enhances the palatability of most formulas. Low maximum moisture, coupled with high levels of highly-digestible protein, make the spray-dried liver products from ADF easy-to-use in formulations. And ADF's quality assurances and standardized nutrients provide a consistent, accurate level of digestible nutrients for inclusion in your petfoods and treats.

New grain test for DON
Romer Labs introduces FluoroQuant® DON Plus (FQ DON Plus), a new test for deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in wheat, barley, malted barley and corn. The FQ DON Plus test is a four-step procedure. The user weighs, blends and filters a sample for two minutes. The resulting extract is placed in a test tube, cleaned and dried then heated and cooled. The final readings come from placing the extract in a calibrated fluorometer. The entire process takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The Fusarium graminearum fungus is the principle producer of DON (or vomitoxin) in grains. It survives on old, infected residue left on the field from the previous growing season.

Research notes

Responses to diets containing alternative carbohydrates
Several blends of carbohydrates containing fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and/or mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) from yeast cell wall were evaluated as proxies for traditional dietary fibers in animal protein-based diets fed to dogs. Six mixed-breed dogs with hound bloodlines were fitted with ileal “T”-type cannulas. In a 6 x 6 Latin square design with 14-day periods, six diets with different carbohydrate sources were tested. Dogs were offered 175 g twice daily of a brewer's rice and poultry by-product meal-based diet supplemented with no additional fiber (CO); 2.5% cellulose (CL); 2.5% beet pulp (BP); 1.0% cellulose + 1.5% FOS (CF); 1.0% cellulose + 1.2% FOS + 0.3% MOS (CFM1); or 1.0% cellulose + 0.9% FOS + 0.6% MOS (CFM2).

Chromic oxide was provided in gelatin capsules as a digestion marker at each feeding. On day 11 through 14 of each period, ileal samples and total feces excreted were collected. On day 14, a blood sample was collected for bacterial enumeration by serial dilution and plating on selective agars. Treatment least squares means were compared using a Tukey adjustment. Feed intake, fecal score and fecal pH were similar among treatments, but wet fecal output tended (P = 0.09) to be higher for dogs fed BP compared with CFM1. Fecal Bifidobacterium concentrations were higher for CF (P = 0.02) and CFM2 (P = 0.09) than for CL, and tended to be higher (P = 0.06) for CF than for CO.

Lactobacillus concentrations tended to be increased (P = 0.07) for CF compared to CL and CO. Total anaerobic microbe concentrations were increased for CF (P = 0.04) and CFM2 (P = 0.05) compared to CL, while total aerobe microbe concentrations were increased for CF compared to CL (P = 0.05) and CO (P = 0.06). White blood cell counts and serum immunoglobulin concentrations were not affected by treatment. These data suggest that fiber blends containing FOS and/or MOS modulate intestinal microbial populations but do not appear to affect immunological status of the dog.

Source: Middelbos, I.S., et al., 2006. Gut microbial and immunological responses of dogs to diets containing alternative carbohydrates with properties similar to those of dietary fibers. Proceedings of the 2006 ADSA ASAS Joint Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Yeast culture vs. brewer's dried yeast as dry cat food palatability enhancers
In this study, yeast culture and brewer's dried yeast were offered to cats to determine palatability preference. Yeast culture and brewer's dry yeast were included in a 32% protein, 20% fat cat food and offered to a panel of cats on two consecutive days. Twenty adult domestic long- and short-haired cats with a median age of six were randomly assigned to the panel. Cats were housed at a commercial nutrition laboratory. The yeast products were added to the diets, prior to extrusion, at 1.25% of the ration dry matter. One hundred fifty grams of each ration were offered to the cats and bowl position was reversed daily to prevent “left-right” bias.

The brewer's dry yeast was approached first on 19 of 40 occasions, but only consumed first on 10 of those 40 occasions. Total daily consumption was not statistically different between the two yeast products with the yeast culture ration consumed an average of 22.25 ± 13.4 g per day and the brewer's yeast ration 27.05 ± 13.7 grams per day. Cats tended to consume more of the yeast culture ration per kg of body weight (P = 0.08). The brewer's dry yeast ration was consumed at 5.6 ± 2.55 g/kg of body weight and yeast culture ration at 7.58 ± 4.24 g/kg. Additionally, the yeast culture was preferred by 11 of the 20 cats based on total consumption. Total daily consumption averaged 445.5 g for the brewer's dry yeast ration and 541 g for the yeast culture ration.

In conclusion, there was no statistical difference between intake of cat food containing brewer's dry yeast and yeast culture; however, intake per kg of body weight tended to be higher for yeast culture.

Source: Jones, J.W. and Leiner, B., 2006. Comparison of yeast culture and brewer's dried yeast as palatability enhancers in dry cat food. Proceedings of the 2006 ADSA ASAS Joint Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Positions available

Our help wanted listings aim to inform petfood industry professionals about employment opportunities worldwide. Contact our sales staff at henson@wattmm.com or stadel@wattmm.com for more information on placing a listing in upcoming issues.

Technical services manager
A petfood manufacturer is looking for a person with the following qualifications:

• Prior experience in the petfood industry;
• Food Science or Animal Science degree; and
• Experience in quality and food safety management.

Position will be responsible for all aspects of quality control. Will oversee four quality control technicians; and implement, oversee and update all quality procedures and manuals. Will coordinate testing of all raw materials and finished products to assure they meet quality standards. Must be self-motivated and organized. Computer skills a must. EOE. Send resume, including salary requirements, to: Hagen Pet Foods, Inc., PO Box 29, Waverly, NY 14892 USA. E-mail: human.resources-hpf@rchagen.com.

Manager of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
Trouw Nutrition USA, a leading manufacturer of unique feed ingredients, base mixes and premixes for the agricultural and companion animal nutrition industry, employs the best and brightest. We are committed to offering a challenging and rewarding environment within which to work by providing employees with clear vision and direction, performance and career development, a competitive salary structure and bonus system, along with an attractive and comprehensive benefit package.

Trouw Nutrition USA desires to hire a manager of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance to be located at its Highland, Illinois, USA corporate offices (just 30 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri). In this position you will be reporting to the director of Quality Assurance and will be responsible to assist in the development, implementation, maintenance and monitoring of the Quality Program to ensure that the products and production processes of Trouw Nutrition USA meet or exceed quality expectations of customers and of the company and are fully compliant with legislative and product specifications.

Additional responsibilities include ensuring regulatory compliance for feed and feed ingredients on a global basis by monitoring regulatory changes and facilitating sales and by registering products in the USA and internationally with appropriate regulatory and governmental agencies in a timely and effective manner.

Qualified applicants should have a technical or college degree in a related field, experience in regulatory or quality assurance activities, experience with and/or a willingness to learn about dealing with government officials. A working knowledge of FDA, USDA, APHIS, AAFCO and other agencies’ rules and regulations is considered a plus, as is internal quality audit experience and training capability. In addition, this position requires the person to be a good, systematic documenter having computer skills in word processing and spreadsheet applications and E-mail programs, with good oral and written communication skills.

For consideration, please fax, mail or E-mail your resume with salary history to the attention of: Human Resource Manager, Trouw Nutrition USA, PO Box 219, Highland, IL 62249 USA, Fax: +1.618.654.3157, E-mail: susan.boostrom@nutreco.com.

References

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