Advertisement

This site uses cookies to enhance your user experience. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our COOKIE POLICY.

ACCEPT AND CLOSE

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

The key to knowledge is in your (nitrile-gloved) hands

Already an ACS Member?  

Basic

$0 Community Associate

ACS’s Basic Package keeps you connected with C&EN and ACS.

  • Access to 6 digital C&EN articles per month on cen.acs.org
  • Weekly delivery of the C&EN Essential newsletter
JOIN NOW
Standard

$80 Regular Members & Society Affiliates

ACS’s Standard Package lets you stay up to date with C&EN, stay active in ACS, and save.

Eligibility restrictions apply. Review ACS Membership Packages to see if you qualify.

JOIN NOW
Premium

$160 Regular Members & Society Affiliates
$55 Graduate Students
$25 Undergraduate Students

ACS’s Premium Package gives you full access to C&EN and everything the ACS Community has to offer.

  • Unlimited access to C&EN’s daily news coverage on cen.acs.org
  • Weekly delivery of the C&EN Magazine in print or digital format
  • Access to our Chemistry News by C&EN mobile app
  • Significant discounts on registration for most ACS-sponsored meetings
ACS offers discounts for some countries outside the United States. This discount is shown at checkout, if applicable.

JOIN NOW

Thank you!

Your account has been created successfully, and a confirmation email is on the way.

Your username is now your ACS ID.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Food Ingredients

Periodic Graphics

Periodic Graphics: The chemistry of cat and dog kibble

Chemical educator and Compound Interest blogger Andy Brunning explores the chemical components of dry food for pets.

by Andy Brunning, special to C&EN
September 27, 2024 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 102, Issue 30
Advertisement

Most Popular in Food

 

Infographic on the chemistry of dog and cat kibble. 

Kibble is a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber. Manufacturers also add important vitamins and minerals to keep pets healthy. 

Cats have a higher dietary protein requirement than dogs. They also need fewer carbohydrates. Cat kibble protein is often from animal sources so that it contains taurine. Most dogs synthesize sufficient taurine from the amino acids methionine and cysteine. Cats have to obtain it from their food.

Manufacturers add palatants to make kibble appealing to cats and dogs. In cat food, these include pyrophosphate salts. Scientists think they intensify the taste of amino acids in the food. Other common palatants for cats and dogs are the amines putrescine and cadaverine, compounds that decaying meat produces.
Credit: Andy Brunning

To download a pdf of this article, visit cenm.ag/kibble.

References used to create this graphic:

Golder, Christina, James L. Weemhoff, and Dennis E. Jewell. “Cats Have Increased Protein Digestibility as Compared to Dogs and Improve Their Ability to Absorb Protein as Dietary Protein Intake Shifts from Animal to Plant Sources.” Animals(2020). DOI: 10.3390/ani10030541.

Levesque, A., C. Niceron, I. Guiller, J. Brand, B. Bryant, and J. Araujo. “Pyrophosphates and Cat Food Palatability.” Accessed Sept. 19, 2024.

Roach, Mary. “The Chemistry of Kibble.” Popular Science, updated May 20, 2021.

Verbrugghe, Adronie, and Myriam Hesta. “Cats and Carbohydrates: The Carnivore Fantasy?” Vet. Sci.(2017). DOI: 10.3390/vetsci4040055.

A collaboration between C&EN and Andy Brunning, author of the popular graphics blog Compound Interest

To see more of Brunning’s work, go to compoundchem.com. To see all of C&EN’s Periodic Graphics, visit cenm.ag/periodicgraphics.

 

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.
GET MORE
GET MORE