"Dried egg product" in cat food

goholistic

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For some reason, it is bothering me that this ingredient is showing up in more and more cat foods, both wet and dry, premium and economical. Perhaps it's because any wet foods I have purchased for my cats to try that had dried egg product in it have a weird smell (eggy?) and weird consistency (gelatinous). They didn't like any of them. I don't remember seeing this ingredient so much three years ago. I know in the raw and home-cooked forum, fresh eggs are talked about very positively as a nutritious addition to a cat's diet. I'm totally on board with that.

A quick Google search led me to the good ol' Mercola site:

"Whole Egg Waste" - Unfit for Humans, But Fine for Dogs and Cats

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/04/06/egg-product-as-pet-food.aspx

If what the Mercola site is saying is true, it would explain why I didn't see dried egg product so prevalently three years ago. It is a relatively new endeavor and pet food manufacturers are jumping on the opportunity to incorporate it in their formulas. I know there are so many things about commercial pet food that we can debate about. Right now, dried egg product is bothering me.
 

Willowy

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I guess I can't see how you can go wrong with eggs :dk:. Now, if they are adding stuff, that bothers me. But otherwise, an egg a person doesn't want to eat is still an egg (and Americans are terribly picky about how our eggs look. Ever seen that episode of Dirty Jobs? SO MANY eggs go to waste. I'm fine with using them in pet food). There's nothing really icky or non-nutritious about eggs. So I'm OK with it. It's good protein. . .don't know why they say adding egg product "artificially" inflates protein levels---it IS protein! And animal protein too.
 
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roguethecat

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I guess I can't see how you can go wrong with eggs
. Now, if they are adding stuff, that bothers me. But otherwise, an egg a person doesn't want to eat is still an egg (and Americans are terribly picky about how our eggs look. Ever seen that episode of Dirty Jobs? SO MANY eggs go to waste. I'm fine with using them in pet food). There's nothing really icky or non-nutritious about eggs. So I'm OK with it. It's good protein. . .don't know why they say adding egg product "artificially" inflates protein levels---it IS protein! And animal protein too.
ah, you have to read the article.

You're right, quite nutritious, FRESH eggs 
, but the way the egg waste is processed is disgusting (lots of unsavory additives to prolong the shelf life
 ). That's the normal egg waste - then there's the hatchery waste of unhatched eggs
, of which they can't use much because of the smell.

And I've been wondering why my ferals are so reluctant to eat the Friskie's with egg sauce
 
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goholistic

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ah, you have to read the article.

You're right, quite nutritious, FRESH eggs 
, but the way the egg waste is processed is disgusting (lots of unsavory additives to prolong the shelf life
 ). That's the normal egg waste - then there's the hatchery waste of unhatched eggs
, of which they can't use much because of the smell.

And I've been wondering why my ferals are so reluctant to eat the Friskie's with egg sauce
Back when my cats were all eating well, they wouldn't touch any of the wet foods with dried egg product in them. And the smell of these foods was very weird to me. I guess I'm also annoyed that companies are quick to jump on anything approved for pet food that takes the place of using real meat. If a brand "reformulates," expect to see this newly available ingredient in there. 
  I think Merrick's new Purrfect Bistro line is an example of this. Some brands have continued to stay away from it.
 

Willowy

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ah, you have to read the article.
You're right, quite nutritious, FRESH eggs :nod: , but the way the egg waste is processed is disgusting (lots of unsavory additives to prolong the shelf life:nausea:  ). That's the normal egg waste - then there's the hatchery waste of unhatched eggs:dead: , of which they can't use much because of the smell.

And I've been wondering why my ferals are so reluctant to eat the Friskie's with egg sauce:cringe:
I did read the article. There seems to be a lot of speculation and assumptions in it. There may or may not be additives (and, as I said, if there are additives this makes me unhappy), unhatched eggs shouldn't smell (eggs can stay edible for a year or more if not cracked; eggshells are absolutely amazing at keeping bacteria out), and for some reason the author thinks egg product may not be digestible even though I can't think of any part of an egg that isn't digestible. So, um, yeah, I didn't find the article too impressive.

Hopefully they aren't adding too many things to the egg product destined for pet food (why would they waste it? Additives are not cheap. There's no reason to add a "whipping aid" or volume expander in pet-food-grade product), and, basically, I really don't see any reason to think this product is any worse than the meat they use in pet foods.

LOL, my cats LOVE the egg flavors of Friskies. I don't buy it often (non-pate, not in large cans) but they fight over it when I do buy some. Not that I think that "egg" gravy has much egg in it at all.
 
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goholistic

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Hmm...I can't find any resource that explains how dried egg product is manufactured for pet food. But I did find this document on egg products from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. It applies to egg products for humans, but gives me an idea on how they are manufactured:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...Process_Plant_Familiarization.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Here's the section on dried egg products (I've highlighted my concerns in red):
Drying

Industry has developed a variety of dried egg products, including dried egg white, dried plain whole egg and yolk, and specialty dried egg products.

Egg products fall under two basic categories when considering their drying characteristics:
  • egg white products
  • whole egg and yolk products
Before the liquid egg products go through the drying process, industry uses processing techniques to achieve the desired finished product. These techniques alter the composition of egg components by changing the lipid or sugar composition, concentrating solids, or separating egg components (e.g., lysozyme and avidin).

The two common methods that industry uses to produce dried egg products are:
  • Spray drying – atomized liquid egg product is sprayed into a stream of hot air, collected and packaged. This is the predominant method used by the dried egg product industry. Spray drying does not kill microorganisms. However, it does extend product shelf life.
  • Pan drying or albumen flake process – unpasteurized egg whites are dried on pans to produce a flake-type or granular material. This method is used for the confectionary industry.
Another method of drying is the Refractance Window[emoji]174[/emoji] drying system. This operation is a low temperature drying technique, which removes moisture from high moisture products that generally vary in solid content between 3% and 70%. Briefly, the operation consists of:
  • Slurry of liquid is evenly applied to the top surface of a continuous sheet of transparent plastic.
  • This continuous plastic film slowly moves across a hot water reservoir (210º F) which provides an infrared energy source (i.e., infrared energy and conducted heat) permitting the rapid drying at atmospheric pressure rather than under vacuum.
  • Results in dry flakes on the opposite end and the process provide retention of the egg product’s functional properties and nutritional value.
This type of drying is very uncommon. Currently, only one egg products plant in the U.S. uses this type of drying process.

Industry uses chemical additives to improve and keep the functional properties (whipping, coagulation, emulsification, flavor, nutrition, and color) of the final dried egg products. Examples of chemical additives include carbohydrates, whipping aids, emulsifiers, and anti-caking agents (colloidal silicon dioxide).

The dried egg product must be handled aseptically during packaging. The advantages of dried egg products compared to their liquid frozen counterparts are shelf life, storage, and low transportation costs. (See Appendix 1 – Figures 3 and 4)
Dried egg product might be manufactured differently for pet food, but I certainly don't think it would be better than what goes into it for human consumption (personal opinion).

I also found this entry on Truth About Pet Food:   http://truthaboutpetfood.com/egg-waste-pet-food-ingredients
 
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goholistic

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Oh, and I don't want you all to think I'm being contrary and judgmental about this or any of you who feed foods with this ingredient in it. Please don't think that. That's not the case at all. I totally understand that there is a lot to debate about when it comes to commercial pet food. Aside from the fact that my cats refused everything with dried egg product, I'm more intrigued with it being an "industry trend" and I like to understand how it affects brands and ultimately consumers. I'm in Marketing for a living. I can't help it. 
 
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