Kibble’s Hidden Dangers: How Extrusion Destroys Pet Food Nutrients

The article critically examines the extrusion process, a high-heat, high-pressure method used to produce approximately 95% of dry pet food (kibble). This process, inadvertently highlighted by a Norwegian study, significantly diminishes the nutritional value of ingredients, even high-quality ones like fresh chicken. The study found that extruding fresh chicken rendered it no more digestible than lesser protein sources like hydrolyzed salmon protein or poultry meal, attributing this to heat-induced damage.

Extrusion's primary risks involve destroying essential nutrients and altering molecular structures. It significantly reduces heat-sensitive amino acids such as aspartic acid, cysteine, lysine, arginine, tryptophan, histidine, and methionine, which can contribute to health issues like dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Furthermore, the process depletes vital vitamins, including A, E, and B-group vitamins (with up to 65% loss for Vitamin A), and essential fatty acids like linolenic (omega-3) and linoleic (omega-6). High temperatures can also increase oleic acid (omega-9) concentrations, potentially leading to lipid oxidation and toxic compound formation.

While denaturation during extrusion might make biologically inappropriate plant proteins (like soy or corn) easier to digest, it has the opposite effect on high-quality animal proteins, making them harder for pets to assimilate. The article advocates for incorporating as much fresh, unprocessed, species-appropriate food into a pet's diet as possible, even if it's just snacks or a few meals weekly, emphasizing that any amount of healthy food is better than none for optimal pet health.

(Source: https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/2018-10-20-nl-pet-food-extrusion/)