The development of pet food using cricket meal : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Food Technology, Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
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2022
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Massey University
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In the context that insect protein is increasingly considered as one of the major sources of alternative proteins in the pet food industry, there is still a lack of research on using cricket as the sole or major protein source in dog foods, let alone commercialised industrial level mass production of such dog foods. Therefore, the study objective was to develop a series of novel dog foods using cricket flour as the alternative protein source. The whole project consisted of three stages, formula design, baking test, and acceptability test. During the first stage, the formulas were targeted to meet the nutrient requirements of the Adult Maintenance category of the AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. A series of three dog food formulas were developed with the adoption of cricket flour as the major protein source, including one complete (CF as complete dog food formula 1, containing 34% cricket flour) and two treat (TF1 as treat formula 1, with 17% cricket flour and TF2 as treat formula 2, with 25% cricket flour) formulas. Based on calculation and comparison, it was shown that all complied with the minimum/maximum nutrient requirement of the Adult Maintenance part of AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. A formulation tool was also built to facilitate the estimation of the nutrient levels, which was based on the Microsoft Excel software and the nutrient profile data of USDA. It was demonstrated that using cricket flour in the formulation of dog foods is feasible due to the high nutrient levels of both essential amino acids and other nutrients such as essential fatty acids and certain minerals. In the second stage, the study objective was to evaluate the feasibility of producing a series of cricked-flour-based, gluten-free dog food formulas, including the formability, the determination of time temperature range, and the control of water activity (Aw). The three formulas were tested under different oven temperatures (150°C, 120°C, and 100°C respectively). All the formulas showed good formability with solid and well-formed pellets after baking. Due to the different compositions, the optimum baking time at constant oven temperature varied between the three formulas, with a pattern that the baking time was inversely proportional to the oven temperature. The Aw value of the three formulas was effectively controlled through a proper combination of oven temperature and baking time. The third stage was designed as a preliminary palatability test. An acceptance test was conducted to testify the acceptance of the tested formulas. Eight dogs were randomly chosen from the Centre for Canine Nutrition. It was shown, both the complete and the two treat dog food formulas got a 100% acceptancy. A comparison of palatability between the two treats was also conducted. TF2 gained a slightly higher preference; 71.43% of dogs chose to approach TF2 first, 85.71% of dogs started eating from TF2 first, and 57.14% of dogs finished consuming TF2 first. The result indicated, that using cricket flour in dog foods has a highly promising future.