Smola Meredith A, Oba Patrícia M, Mioto Julio C, Audibert Pernilla, Belloso Tomas, Swanson Kelly S
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.
Bond Pet Foods, Inc., Boulder, CO, United States.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jul 7;12:1593209. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1593209. eCollection 2025.
Producing enough protein continues to be a challenge, but alternatives may provide economic and ecological relief. Sufficient testing is necessary to confirm safety and evaluate nutritional value. Our objective was to evaluate the safety, efficacy, gastrointestinal tolerance, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of brewed chicken protein (BCP; expressing a chicken protein).
Thirty-two healthy adult dogs (BW = 9.68 ± 1.18 kg; age = 4.16 ± 1.85 yr) were used in a completely randomized design ( = 8/treatment). After a 2-wk acclimation phase, baseline measurements were collected and dogs were allotted to the following treatments and fed for 26 wk: control diet (0% BCP; Control), 15% BCP (Low), 30% BCP (Medium), or 40% BCP (High). Palatability was assessed by comparing dry diets coated with 0% (control) vs. 1% BCP in 20 adult dogs. Data were analyzed using the Mixed Models procedure of SAS 9.4, with < 0.05 being significant and trends accepted at < 0.10.
Consumption of BCP did not affect food intake, BW, physical parameters, serum chemistry, hematology, and urinalysis. The dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein ATTD were greater ( < 0.05) for High, while the fat ATTD was greater ( < 0.05) for Control. Fecal output was lower ( < 0.0001) and fecal dry matter was lower ( < 0.001) for dogs fed High. Fecal acetate concentrations were lower ( < 0.05) and propionate concentrations tended to be higher ( = 0.06) in dogs fed BCP. Fecal isobutyrate, isovalerate, indole, total phenol and indole, and ammonia concentrations were lower ( < 0.001) and fecal valerate concentrations were higher ( < 0.0001) in dogs fed BCP. Fecal bacterial alpha diversity was lower ( < 0.05) in dogs fed BCP. For beta diversity, dogs fed Control were different than those fed BCP. Over 20 fecal bacterial genera were affected by BCP consumption. Palatability of BCP was high ( < 0.05; 2.93:1 consumption ratio).
These results indicate that the BCP ingredient tested is an effective source of protein that is safe for use in adult dog foods at an inclusion level of up to 40%. No detrimental effects were observed, and notable changes to nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota populations suggest potential benefits on gastrointestinal health.
生产足够的蛋白质仍然是一项挑战，但替代品可能会带来经济和生态方面的缓解。需要进行充分的测试以确认安全性并评估营养价值。我们的目的是评估酿造鸡肉蛋白（BCP；表达一种鸡肉蛋白）的安全性、功效、胃肠道耐受性和表观全肠道消化率（ATTD）。
32只健康成年犬（体重=9.68±1.18千克；年龄=4.16±1.85岁）采用完全随机设计（每组=8只）。经过2周的适应期后，收集基线测量数据，并将犬只分配到以下处理组，喂养26周：对照日粮（0% BCP；对照组）、15% BCP（低剂量组）、30% BCP（中剂量组）或40% BCP（高剂量组）。通过比较20只成年犬食用涂有0%（对照）和1% BCP的干粮来评估适口性。使用SAS 9.4的混合模型程序分析数据，P<0.05具有显著性，P<0.10接受趋势分析。
食用BCP不影响食物摄入量、体重、身体参数、血清生化指标、血液学指标和尿液分析。高剂量组的干物质、有机物质和粗蛋白ATTD更高（P<0.05），而对照组的脂肪ATTD更高（P<0.05）。高剂量组犬的粪便产量更低（P<0.0001），粪便干物质更低（P<0.001）。食用BCP的犬粪便乙酸盐浓度更低（P<0.05），丙酸盐浓度有升高趋势（P=0.06）。食用BCP的犬粪便异丁酸、异戊酸、吲哚、总酚和吲哚以及氨浓度更低（P<0.001），粪便戊酸盐浓度更高（P<0.0001）。食用BCP的犬粪便细菌α多样性更低（P<0.05）。对于β多样性，对照组犬与食用BCP的犬不同。超过20种粪便细菌属受BCP消费影响。BCP的适口性很高（P<0.05；消费比例为2.93:1）。
这些结果表明，所测试的BCP成分是一种有效的蛋白质来源，在成年犬粮中的添加水平高达40%时使用是安全的。未观察到有害影响，营养物质消化率、粪便特征、代谢产物和微生物群的显著变化表明对胃肠道健康有潜在益处。
