Palatability improver for pet food

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a palatability improver for pet food, said palatability improver being capable of satisfactorily improving the palatability of a pet food to pets. Specifically, the purpose is to provide a palatability improver for pet food, said palatability improver being capable of satisfactorily improving the palatability of a pet food mainly composed of plant-based ingredients to pets.　It is found that a heat-treated product containing a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing ingredient and a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract resulted in improved palatability of a pet food to pets.

Description

Palatability enhancer for pet food

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a palatability enhancer for pet food.

[0002] There are a variety of pet foods available, ranging from those that use animal meats such as beef or chicken as the main ingredient or component to those that are primarily made from plant-based ingredients. In recent years, efforts have been made to further improve pet palatability. For example, one technology relates to a pet food palatability improver that adds monosodium glutamate to a hydrolyzed liquid of poultry or livestock liver and heat-dries it (Patent Document 1). Another technology relates to a palatability improver containing soybean powder (Patent Document 2). Another technology relates to a pet food palatability improver that contains at least one palatability improver component selected from the group consisting of protein hydrolysates and yeast extracts, free glycine, and reducing sugars (Patent Document 3). Meanwhile, in recent years, pet foods primarily made from plant-based ingredients such as vegetable proteins have emerged, and the market has expanded. However, pet foods primarily made from plant-based ingredients have undesirable flavors, such as a grassy smell, and pets have difficulty eating the pet food. There are also technologies that attempt to address the aforementioned problems associated with pet foods primarily made from plant-based ingredients. For example, there is a technology for infusing pet food made primarily from plant-based ingredients with a seasoning liquid that has the flavor of animal meat (Patent Document 4), a technology for pet food containing meat analogs that contain plant-based proteins, yeast extracts, etc. (Patent Document 5), and a technology for a palatability enhancer for vegetarian dogs that contains amino acids and carbonyl compounds (Patent Document 6).

[0003] JP 2012-139135 A JP 2020-54251 A JP 2023-169918 A JP 2006-020592 A JP 2018-519792 A WO2018 / 226124 A

[0004] Conventional techniques have not been effective in increasing pet food appetite. The present invention aims to provide a pet food palatability improver that can sufficiently improve pet food palatability. In particular, the present invention aims to provide a pet food palatability improver that can sufficiently improve pet food palatability.

[0005] As a result of intensive research into solving the above problems, it was found that a heat-treated product containing a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract and a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material improves pet food palatability for pets, leading to the completion of the pet food palatability improver of the present embodiment.

[0006] That is, the present invention relates to the following "pet food palatability improver, method for improving animal palatability of pet food, pet food, and method for producing pet food."(1) A pet food palatability improver containing, as an active ingredient, a heat-treated product comprising the following (A) and (B): (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract; (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; (2) The pet food palatability improver according to (1), wherein the content of (A) the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or the cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is 0.1 to 99% by mass; (3) The pet food palatability improver according to (1), wherein the content of (B) the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is 0.1 to 99% by mass; (4) The pet food palatability improver according to (A), wherein the content of (A) the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or the cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is 0.1 to 99% by mass; (B) The pet food palatability improver according to (1), wherein the content of the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material is 0.1 to 99% by mass; (5) The pet food palatability improver according to (1), wherein the heat-treated product further comprises (C) a smoke-flavored material; (6) The pet food palatability improver according to (2), wherein the heat-treated product further comprises (C) a smoke-flavored material; (7) The pet food palatability improver according to (3), wherein the heat-treated product further comprises (C) a smoke-flavored material; (8) The pet food palatability improver according to (4), wherein the heat-treated product further comprises (C) a smoke-flavored material; (9) A method for improving animal palatability for pet food, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): (a) a step of preparing a heat-treated product comprising (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; (b) a step of blending the heat-treated product into pet food; (10) a method for improving animal palatability for a pet food according to (9), wherein in the step (a), the heat-treated product further comprises (C) a smoke-flavored material; (11) a pet food containing a heat-treated product comprising the following (A) and (B): (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract; (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; (12) the pet food according to (11), wherein the heat-treated product further comprises (C) a smoke-flavored material.(13) A method for producing pet food, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): (a) preparing a heat-treated product containing (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; (b) incorporating the heat-treated product into pet food; (14) The method for producing pet food according to (13), wherein in step (a), the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.In other words, the present invention provides: (15) a pet food palatability improver containing as an active ingredient a heat-treated product comprising the following (A) and (B): (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract; (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; (16) the pet food palatability improver according to (15), wherein the content of (A) the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or the cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food is 0.1 to 99 mass%; (17) the pet food palatability improver according to (15), wherein the content of (B) the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material in the solid content of the pet food is 0.1 to 99 mass%; (18) A pet food palatability improver according to (15), wherein the content of (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food is 0.1 to 99% by mass, and the content of (B) polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material is 0.1 to 99% by mass; (19) A pet food palatability improver according to any one of (15) to (18), wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material; (20) A method for improving the palatability of pet food in animals, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): (a) preparing a heat-treated product containing (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; (b) incorporating the heat-treated product into pet food; (21) Pet food containing a heat-treated product containing the following (A) and (B); (22) The pet food according to (21), wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material; (23) A method for producing pet food, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): (a) preparing a heat-treated product containing (A) the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or the cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; and (b) incorporating the heat-treated product into the pet food.

[0007] By using the pet food palatability improver of the present invention, the palatability of pet food for pets can be improved.

[0008] ■ Pet Food Palatability Improver The pet food palatability improver according to this embodiment is characterized by containing a heat-treated product containing the following (A) and (B): (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material. Preferably, the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material. In this embodiment, the target pet food is not particularly limited, and examples include pet foods primarily composed of animal ingredients and pet foods primarily composed of plant ingredients. In this embodiment, pet foods primarily composed of plant ingredients are preferred, as they better demonstrate the effects of the palatability improver. In pet foods primarily composed of plant ingredients, the plant ingredients preferably account for 50% or more by mass of the solid content of the pet food. More preferably, the plant ingredients account for 60% or more by mass, 70% or more by mass, 80% or more by mass, 90% or more by mass, or 100% by mass of the solid content of the pet food.

[0009] Target pet food ingredients include grains such as corn, wheat, rice, brown rice, barley, oats, and rye; pulses such as defatted soybeans, whole soybeans, peas, and mung beans; starches such as wheat starch, corn starch, rice starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, and various modified starches; plant proteins such as soy protein, pea protein, and mung bean protein; meat, seafood, vegetables, minerals, amino acids, flavors, vitamins, fiber, and coloring agents.

[0010] In this embodiment, "palatability" is evaluated by feeding a pet food containing the pet food palatability improver according to this embodiment and a pet food without the pet food palatability improver at the same time, and determining which one the animal puts in its mouth first (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "first choice"). "Improved palatability" is determined to be improved if the probability of first choice for the pet food containing the pet food palatability improver is 60% or higher. The probability of "first choice" is preferably 70% or higher, and more preferably 80% or higher. In this embodiment, the evaluation is performed using at least five animals.

[0011] The glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract, polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material, and smoke-flavored material can be contained in any proportion in the pet food palatability improver. The content of the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is preferably 0.1 to 99% by mass. The content of the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is preferably 0.1 to 99% by mass. In one embodiment, the content of the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is preferably 0.1 to 99% by mass, and the content of the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material is preferably 0.1 to 99% by mass. The content of the smoke-flavored material is preferably 0.1 to 99% by mass.

[0012] The content of the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is preferably 0.5% by mass or more, 1% by mass or more, 2% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 4% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 8% by mass or more, or 10% by mass or more. The upper limit, based on the solid content, is more preferably 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 55% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 45% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, or 35% by mass or less. More specific examples include 0.1 to 80% by mass, 0.5 to 70% by mass, 1 to 60% by mass, 1 to 55% by mass, 2 to 50% by mass, 2 to 40% by mass, 3 to 40% by mass, 4 to 40% by mass, 2 to 35% by mass, and 3 to 35% by mass.

[0013] Furthermore, the content of the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver can preferably be 0.5% by mass or more, 1% by mass or more, 2% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 4% by mass or more, or 5% by mass or more. The upper limit, in terms of solid content, can more preferably be 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. More specific examples include 0.1 to 80% by mass, 0.5 to 75% by mass, 1 to 65% by mass, 2 to 60% by mass, 2 to 55% by mass, and 3 to 55% by mass.

[0014] The lower limit of the content of the smoke-flavored material in the solid content of the pet food palatability enhancer is more preferably 0.5% by mass or more, 1% by mass or more, 2% by mass or more, 4% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 8% by mass or more, or 10% by mass or more. The upper limit, in terms of solid content, is more preferably 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 55% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 45% by mass or less, or 40% by mass or less. More specific examples include 0.1 to 80% by mass, 0.5 to 75% by mass, 1 to 65% by mass, 2 to 60% by mass, 4 to 55% by mass, 5 to 55% by mass, 7 to 50% by mass, 8 to 50% by mass, 8 to 45% by mass, and 10 to 45% by mass.

[0015] The proportion of plant-derived raw materials in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver according to this embodiment is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 55% by mass or more, even more preferably 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 75% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 85% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, or even 95% by mass or more, and most preferably 100% by mass.

[0016] ■ Glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract Glutathione-containing yeast extract can be obtained by extracting glutathione-containing yeast using known methods such as hot water extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis extraction, and autolysis extraction. The glutathione-containing yeast extract preferably has a glutathione content of 1% by mass or more per dry mass, and can be appropriately selected without any particular limitation as long as it is edible, and examples include brewer's yeast extract, baker's yeast extract, and torula yeast extract. Commercially available glutathione-containing yeast extracts can be used. Commercially available products include, for example, BioSpringer's yeast extract "Springer 4101," Mitsubishi Corporation Life Sciences' (Kojin Life Sciences) yeast extracts "Hithion Extract YH-8," "Hithion Extract YH-15," "Hithion Extract YH-D18," "Aromild U-15," and "Adipulse KF," Kyowa Hakko Bio's "Gluta Yeast Extract N," Oriental Yeast's yeast extract "Yeast Extract BSP-783," Asahi Group Foods' yeast extract "Hypermeast AP2515," and Ajinomoto Co.'s "Super Yeast Extract." Mixtures of the glutathione-containing yeast extract and sugars can also be used, and heated mixtures of these can also be used. Examples of sugars include monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and starch. These can be used alone or in combination. Liquid sugars containing such sugars can also be used. Cysteine-containing yeast extracts can also be included in the glutathione-containing yeast extracts. Also included is yeast extract to which cysteine ​​has been added.

[0017] ■ Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Containing Material The polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material according to this embodiment preferably contains 0.01 to 100% by mass of polyunsaturated fatty acids based on the solid content of the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material. The lower limit is preferably 0.02% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.06% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, or 0.5% by mass or more, and the upper limit is more preferably 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, 10% by mass or less, 5% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, or 1% by mass or less. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are fatty acids having two or more unsaturated C-C bonds. In a preferred embodiment, the polyunsaturated fatty acid is an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. Examples of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids include α-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid, eicosatrienoic acid, eicosatetraenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, tetracosapentaenoic acid, and tetracosahexaenoic acid. In a more preferred embodiment, the ω-3 fatty acid is eicosapentaenoic acid and / or docosahexaenoic acid. Examples of polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing materials include vegetable oils, seaweed oils, microalgae oils, fish oils, seaweed powder, and extracts extracted from seaweed powder. Additionally, the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material of this embodiment also includes materials obtained by separately blending polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as vegetable oils, seaweed oils, microalgae oils, fish oils, seaweed powders, extracts extracted from seaweed powders, or yeast extracts obtained by blending raw materials such as polyunsaturated fatty acids.

[0018] Examples of vegetable oils include soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and linseed oil. Examples of seaweed oils include oils obtained from brown algae, red algae, and green algae. Examples of brown algae include hijiki, wakame, mekabu, kombu, akamoku, and mozuku. Examples of green algae include kuzurebi and osa. Examples of red algae include nori and tengusa.

[0019] Smoked Flavored Material In this embodiment, the smoked flavored material refers to a material imparted with a smoked flavor (smoked flavor). Examples of such materials include smoked oils and fats (smoked oil), smoked yeast extracts, liquid smoke, smoked vinegar, smoked soy sauce, smoked salt, smoked paprika, and other seasonings containing smoke flavoring agents. Commercially available smoked fats and fats include "Smoked Oil N-1" (manufactured by Asahi Group Foods) and "Smoked Olive Oil" (manufactured by Kazusa Smoked Foods Workshop). Examples of smoked yeast extracts include "Grill Yeast B / H" (manufactured by Higuchi Shokai Co., Ltd.) and "Smoked Hyper Meat A-1387" (manufactured by Asahi Group Foods Co., Ltd.). Among these, the use of smoked yeast extracts is preferred because they can effectively impart a smoked flavor to dried seafood-like flavored materials.

[0020] ■Protein Hydrolysate In addition, in certain embodiments, a protein hydrolysate can be used in the present invention. Protein hydrolysates include enzyme protein hydrolysates, which are obtained by enzymatically decomposing a protein raw material with a protease. Protein hydrolysates also include acid protein hydrolysates, which are obtained by hydrolyzing a protein raw material with an acid such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. Enzyme protein hydrolysates and acid protein hydrolysates can be used in combination. Protein hydrolysates derived from either animal or plant materials can be used, but those derived from plant materials are preferred.

[0021] Plant-derived protein enzymatic hydrolysates are prepared by enzymatically hydrolyzing plant-derived protein materials with protease (protein hydrolase). Various protein materials obtained by extracting, concentrating, or separating proteins from plant materials can be used. The protein content of the protein material is preferably 50% by mass or more, calculated on a dry mass basis. More preferably, the protein content is 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 75% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 85% by mass or more, or even 90% by mass or more. Examples of plant-derived protein materials include beans such as soybeans, peas, and mung beans; grains such as rice, wheat, barley, and corn; and nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts. Among these, plant-derived protein materials are preferably derived from beans such as soybeans, peas, and mung beans, with soybeans being more preferred. Examples of soybean-derived enzyme protein hydrolysates that can be used include commercially available products such as "Hinute AM," "Hinute DC6," "Hinute DH," "Hinute D1," and "Hinute HKB" (all manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.). The content of the protein hydrolysate in the solid content of the pet food palatability enhancer is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass. The lower limit can be more preferably 0.2% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, or 0.8% by mass or more. The upper limit can more preferably be 15% by mass or less, 12% by mass or less, 10% by mass or less, or 9% by mass or less. More specific examples include 0.1 to 15% by mass, 0.2 to 12% by mass, 0.4 to 10% by mass, 0.5 to 10% by mass, 0.7 to 10% by mass, and 0.8 to 9% by mass.

[0022] ■ Other Ingredients In some embodiments, nucleic acids such as 5'-inosinate disodium, 5'-guanylate disodium, and 5'-adenylate disodium can be used; amino acids such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, and alanine; and amino acid salts such as sodium glutamate and sodium aspartate. Extracts containing nucleic acids, amino acids, and amino acid salts, as well as yeast extracts and fermented seasonings, can also be used. Examples of sources of nucleic acids include seafood, mushrooms, yeast extracts, and fermented seasonings. In some embodiments, vegetable extracts and vegetable extract powders such as cabbage, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, celery, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, onions, and Chinese cabbage can also be used; sugars such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, dextrins, and polysaccharides; starches; salt; thickeners; stabilizers; brewing seasonings such as sake; yeast extracts containing succinic acid; dietary fiber; and proteins.

[0023] ■ Manufacturing Method of Pet Food Palatability Improver In this embodiment, the pet food palatability improver can be manufactured, for example, by the following method. The pet food palatability improver can be obtained by mixing (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract, (B) polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material, and, if necessary, (C) smoke-flavored material and water, and heating the mixture. When water is mixed, the water content is preferably 0.1 to 99% by mass relative to the total mass of the glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract, polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material, smoke-flavored material, and water. The lower limit of the water content can more preferably be 0.5% by mass or more, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 8% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, or 15% by mass or more. Furthermore, the upper limit of the water content can more preferably be 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 55% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 45% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, or 35% by mass or less. The lower and upper limits of the water content can be combined with any desired values. The water content can be set according to the desired solids concentration. Another example of a method is as follows. A pet food palatability improver can also be obtained by previously mixing (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material, optionally adding water, and heating the mixture. Alternatively, a pet food palatability improver can be obtained by heating a mixture of (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract, (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material, and (C) a smoke-flavored material, optionally with water. The mixture can also be dried after heating, if necessary. Various mixers and agitators can be used for mixing, and there are no particular limitations on the equipment. Examples include various mixers such as homomixers, kneaders, colloid mills, propeller agitators, and blenders.

[0024] The heating temperature is preferably 50°C or higher. The heating temperature is more preferably 55°C or higher, and even more preferably 60°C or higher, 65°C or higher, 70°C or higher, or 75°C or higher. The upper limit is preferably less than 100°C, and more preferably 95°C or lower, 90°C or lower, or 85°C or lower. In more specific embodiments, the heating temperature is 50 to less than 100°C, 50 to 95°C, 50 to 90°C, 60 to less than 100°C, 60 to 95°C, 60 to 90°C, 65 to less than 100°C, 65 to 95°C, 65 to 90°C, 70 to less than 100°C, 70 to 95°C, 75 to less than 100°C, 75 to 95°C, or the like. The heating time is preferably 1 minute or longer, and more preferably 2 minutes or longer, 4 minutes or longer, 5 minutes or longer, 8 minutes or longer, 10 minutes or longer, or 15 minutes or longer. The upper limit is preferably 120 minutes or less, more preferably 100 minutes or less, 90 minutes or less, 80 minutes or less, or 70 minutes or less. In more specific embodiments, the upper limit is 1 to 120 minutes, 5 to 100 minutes, 8 to 90 minutes, 10 to 80 minutes, 10 to 70 minutes, 15 to 80 minutes, 15 to 70 minutes, etc.

[0025] The form of the pet food palatability improver of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, and may be a solid, liquid, or paste. Examples of solid forms include powder, granules, and flakes.

[0026] The amount of the pet food palatability improver added to the pet food can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. Preferably, it is 0.1% to 3% by mass based on the solid content of the pet food. The lower limit amount can be more preferably 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, or 0.3% by mass or more. The upper limit amount can be more preferably 2.5% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.8% by mass or less, or 1.5% by mass or less. The lower limit amount and upper limit amount can be combined in any manner.

[0027] Examples of pets that can be treated with the pet food palatability improver include dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, and hamsters. Dogs and cats are preferred. In one embodiment, dogs are most preferred.

[0028] The present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. In the examples, parts and % mean parts by mass and % by mass, respectively, unless otherwise specified.

[0029] Production Example 1 The raw materials shown in Table 1 were mixed, and the mixture was heated and stirred using a stirring and heating device (Radleys: Reaction Station Mya4) under conditions of 80°C, 60 minutes, and 300 rpm to obtain a palatability improver for pet food.

[0030] ■Table 1

[0031] ■ Animal Testing 1. Preparation of Pet Foods Used in the Test Based on the formulations in Table 1, solutions of various concentrations of the pet food palatability enhancer of Production Example 1 were mixed with commercially available dry pet food (v-planet granules for small dogs, manufactured by Elmira Pet Products (Canada), plant-based pet food, 100% plant-based ingredients) to prepare pet foods containing 0.05% to 2.0% of the pet food palatability enhancer in the solid content of the pet food, which were designated the "test group." As a control, pet food was prepared by mixing water instead of the pet food palatability enhancer solution, which was designated the "control group." These were used in the test.

[0032] Table 2 Pet food composition

[0033] 2. Test Method Five beagle dogs trained for palatability tests were used as pets in each test. 200g of control pet food and 200g of pet food containing a pet food palatability enhancer were placed on either side of a cage containing each beagle dog, and the test was conducted for two days. On the first day, the control pet food was placed on the left side, and the pet food containing a pet food palatability enhancer was placed on the right side. On the second day, the pet food containing a pet food palatability enhancer was placed on the left side, and the control pet food was placed on the right side. The test was terminated 20 minutes after the start of feeding the pet food, or when either pet food was completely eaten.

[0034] 3. Evaluation After starting to feed the pet food, if the probability of each beagle putting the food in its mouth first, i.e., the "first choice," is 60% or higher, it is judged that palatability has improved. The "first choice" probability is calculated as the average of two tests over two days. A "first choice" probability of 70% or higher is preferable, and 80% or higher is even more preferable.

[0035] The test results are shown in Tables 3 to 10 below. In the tables, for the "Evaluation of Pet Food Palatability Enhancers," a "First Choice" probability of 80% or more was given an "A," a probability of 60% to less than 80% was given a "B," and a probability of less than 60% was given a "C." Products that received an A or B rating were deemed to have passed. In addition, in the tables, the "First Choice" was indicated with "FC."

[0036] Table 3: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 0.2%

[0037] Table 4: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 0.3%

[0038] Table 5: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 0.2% (2nd test)

[0039] Table 6: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 0.1%

[0040] Table 7: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 0.05%

[0041] Table 8: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 2.0%

[0042] Table 9: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 1.5%

[0043] Table 10: Percentage of pet food palatability enhancer in pet food solids: 1.0%

[0044] The results in Tables 3 to 10 show that when the amount of pet food palatability enhancer added relative to the solid content of the pet food was 0.1 to 2.0%, the palatability of the pet food improved for dogs. Furthermore, when the amount of pet food palatability enhancer added relative to the solid content of the pet food was 0.1% to 1.5%, the pet food palatability enhancer was rated "A," which was particularly good. At addition amounts within this range, the total amount of pet food consumed by dogs was greater than that of the control group.

Claims

1. A palatability improver for pet food, the active ingredient of which is a heat-treated product containing the following (A) and (B): (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material.

2. A pet food palatability improver according to claim 1, wherein the content of (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is 0.1 to 99 mass%.

3. A pet food palatability improver according to claim 1, wherein the content of (B) the polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver is 0.1 to 99 mass %.

4. The pet food palatability improver according to claim 1, wherein the content of (A) glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or cysteine-containing yeast extract is 0.1 to 99 mass %, and the content of (B) polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material is 0.1 to 99 mass %, in the solid content of the pet food palatability improver.

5. The pet food palatability improver according to claim 1, wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

6. The pet food palatability improver according to claim 2, wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

7. The pet food palatability improver according to claim 3, wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

8. The pet food palatability improver according to claim 4, wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

9. A method for improving the palatability of pet food in animals, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): (a) preparing a heat-treated product containing (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material, and (b) incorporating the heat-treated product into pet food.

10. The method for improving animal palatability for pet food according to claim 9, wherein in step (a), the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

11. A pet food containing a heat-treated product comprising the following (A) and (B): (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material.

12. The pet food according to claim 11, wherein the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

13. A method for producing pet food, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): (a) preparing a heat-treated product containing (A) a glutathione-containing yeast extract and / or a cysteine-containing yeast extract, and (B) a polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing material; and (b) incorporating the heat-treated product into pet food.

14. The method for producing pet food according to claim 13, wherein in step (a), the heat-treated product further contains (C) a smoke-flavored material.

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