A recent study from China sought the opinions of 10 hungry cats to evaluate flavoring for pet foods. Cats have a much better sense of smell than people, and smell is important for enticing cats to eat. In addition, cats do not have taste receptors for “sweet,” so that is considered in planning cat food ingredients.
The study used volatile flavor compounds broken down from chicken livers. These compounds were then sprayed over fat-coated kibble. Four different flavored attractants were used. The test cats, all adults, were provided five bowls of food, one with each attractant and a control bowl. Researchers tracked which bowl each cat went to first and which bowl had the most eaten out of it over a 24-hour period.
Those hard-working test cats all preferred kibble sprayed with the flavored compounds. In particular, they liked the foods that were the most “broken down” and had more free amino acids, showing very discerning palates.
The compounds all stand up to heat treatment (important for food processing), which also enhances aromas. Among the flavored spray foods, those with mushroom and fatty elements were preferred over the others that were more acidic or sweet.
Having foods that cats are attracted to can be important for cats with poor appetites, such as those recovering from an illness or surgery or with chronic health conditions. Luckily, these 10 hungry cats stepped up as volunteers!ν
Wei, Y. et al. Generation of Olfactory Compounds in Cat Food Attractants: Chicken Liver-Derived Protein Hydrolysates and Their Contribution to Enhancing Palatability. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2024; 72 (28): 15906 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c02871
