Pet nutritional supplement is a feed prepared by nutrient feed additive and carrier or diluent in a certain proportion to meet the needs of pet for nutrient feed additives such as amino acids, vitamins, mineral trace elements and enzyme preparations. It is also called supplementary pet food.
Classification of pet nutritional supplements
Compared with medicine and food, pet nutritional supplements currently have fewer types of dosage forms, and the mainstream is ointment, tablet, powder and liquid. Nutritional supplements for pets are classified as follows according to product form:
1. The tablet
It is a round or special-shaped piece of pet nutrition supplement, such as calcium tablet and trace element tablet, which is produced by powder making and granule pressing technology.
Tablet is a common dosage form in pet nutritional supplements. It is made of mixed nutritional substances and auxiliary materials that are effective for dogs and cats. The biggest advantages are accurate dose, stable physical and chemical properties, long storage period and low price. However, the palatability of tablet pet nutritional supplements is poor, and some milk powder or other flavor agents are generally added to the tablets to enhance their appeal to pets. It is recommended that consumers feed their pets in whole tablets, not to break them apart, so as not to damage the esophagus of pets.
2. Power
Pet nutritional supplements, such as calcium and phosphorus powder, vitamin powder, probiotics powder and milk powder, are produced by grinding and mixing process in dry powder or uniform granular form. Through the process of crushing, sieving, mixing, dosing, quality inspection and packaging, powdered nutritional supplements are made. Powder production process is relatively simple and easy to use. Generally, powder is directly mixed with grain or washed with water. Generally speaking, powder has higher requirements for palatability, more delicate taste, and pets are more fond of it.
3. Paste
Semi-solid paste pet nutritional supplements, such as nutrition cream, beauty hair cream, etc. are produced by homogeneous emulsification process. The paste is usually prepared by a process of homogeneous emulsification. Paste pet nutritional supplement is stable and easy to take. Paste preparations are suitable for both dogs and cats, but cost is slightly higher than flake preparations and preservation conditions are more stringent. Because the cat likes to lick food, ointment is relatively more suitable for the cat's eating habits, convenient consumer daily use, so in the cat health care products more applications.
4. The granules
Pet nutritional supplements, such as lecithin particles and seaweed particles, are made by grinding, mixing or extrusion processes.
5. Liquid preparations
Liquid pet nutritional supplements, such as liquid calcium and vitamin E capsules, are produced by sterilization filling process.
Trends in pet nutritional supplements
As pet owners pay more and more attention to pet health, pet owners pay more and more attention to pet nutrition. The continuous increase in the proportion of pet nutritional supplements is mainly attributed to the increase in disposable income of pet owners, increased awareness of health care, and increased emphasis on pet health. In the future, the share of pet nutritional supplements in the pet food market will continue to increase, and further occupy the market share of pet staple food.
As consumers become more knowledgeable about dietary trends and nutritional knowledge, they are becoming more selective about pet products. Based on this market demand, pet supplement manufacturers continue to introduce healthier options and ingredients with specific application directions.
1. Nutrition can replace raw materials
Many products in the pet food market rely on filler ingredients and additives that serve a structural purpose but lack nutritional benefits, such as glycolglycerin. Glycerin acts as a sweetener, preservative and binder in pet food formulations. Although glycerin has GRAS safety certification, it does not necessarily provide any additional health or nutritional benefits. So pet food brands are looking into replacing certain preservatives, adhesives and humectants with nutrient-rich food-grade ingredients that serve the same structural purpose.
2. New focus on immunization health
The market of immune health products is growing rapidly, and consumers transfer their attention to the immunity of pets. Therefore, immune health products industry has become a new focus of pet products. While joints and mobility remain major concerns for dog owners, immune support and digestive issues are rapidly gaining attention.
In addition, trust and transparency are key to the choice of pet nutrition products by pet owners, who are increasingly defining high-quality pet food and pet products that contain natural, identifiable and proven ingredients. Consumers are more interested in pet products that have research to back them up, which is one of the main reasons pet food companies conduct trials and pet studies.
3. The market for alternative proteins is developing rapidly
Protein is expected to be an important growth market for animal health in the coming years. As in the human nutrition market, alternative protein ingredients are gaining traction. As consumers shift to flexitarian diets of their own by eating more plant-based foods, they're also looking for alternative proteins for their pets. Pet owners want to give their partners food that is both healthy and nutritious, leading to growing interest in alternative ingredients such as legumes, yeast and "ancient grains" added to meat-based dog and cat food.
In 2020, Mintel reported that young pet owners are particularly interested in the botanical selection of their pets. Specifically, 40 per cent of dog food buyers aged 16 to 24 preferred plant-based dog food, compared to just 21 per cent of buyers aged 55 and over. As this interest grows, producers are also exploring other sources of protein for humans and pets, including proteins from mushrooms and fungi, insect proteins, and fermentation-based synthetic and cellular proteins.
4. Older pets become the focus of attention
Consumers who buy pet nutrition products are often looking for support for older animals. As mentioned earlier, joint health is still one of the most popular categories in the pet supplement market because pets are so active every day that joint damage is bound to occur.
In addition to joint health, skeletal muscle is a key determinant of pet health, and ingredients that help pets maintain muscle health have been of interest, especially as pets age. Now more than ever, brands and concerned consumers are focusing on the safety and sustainability of the ingredients they provide to their animal companions.
5. More picky pet owners
Visionary pet owners are driving the development of high-quality, healthy, well-researched products. Nutrient-poor fillers are fast falling out of favor as consumers seek transparency and healthy properties. Organic, non-GMO and clean-label products continue to trend. With the innovation of natural and alternative ingredients, taste/palatability has become increasingly important.
Pet owners treat their pets as family members and shop for pet nutrition products in ways that mimic human directions. These applications include joint and motor flexibility, bowel and digestion, stress and mood, immunity and oral cavity. Just a few examples. The pet nutrition market generally requires flexibility in terms of ingredient tolerance, solubility and dosage, so formulators should be ready to adjust ingredient ratios as needed.
