To enhance the taste of dry dog food pellets, dog food attractants (DFAs) have been developed and added to many formulations to improve flavor and other sensory properties, ultimately boosting acceptance by dogs.
The objective of this study was to identify the key aroma and flavor compounds in DFAs that significantly enhance the flavor of dog food. A thermal desorption unit, combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography--time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOF/MS), was used for the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Volatile compounds in three commercial dog pellet food samples from unknown brands were fed to three Thai Ridgebacks and successfully identified through qualitative analysis. This was done by comparing experimental mass spectrometry (MS) data and first-dimensional retention index (1I) values with those from the NIST 2022 database and existing literature using GCxGC. The process resulted in a total of 320 identified peaks
Using the thermal desorption extraction technique, the major VOCs identified in the dog pellet food included pentane (sweet, gasoline-like odor), o-cymene, acetophenone (sweet, pungent taste and orange odor), hexanal (fresh grass odor), and 2-formylbenzoic acid, with peak areas ranging from 7.56×107 to 4.59×108. Hexanal, identified as a key volatile compound in dog food, was found to have a positive correlation with dog food consumption.
These findings provide valuable insights into the use of comprehensive 2D GCxGC-TOF/MS for the qualitative analysis of VOCs in dog pellet food samples in future studies.
In conclusion, odor plays a crucial role in a dog's food preferences, and understanding how technological innovations focusing on key aroma compounds influence a dog's food intake is essential for health and nutrition considerations. The production of appetizing dog food that is fully consumed can help reduce food waste, which would otherwise contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary resource use, thereby increasing its perceived value.
