Nutritional quality of dog food: influence of zinc in the absorption of copper and in the prevention of hepatic disease

Author(s)

Camila Elias

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB)
• Defense date: 2015-02-13

Examining board members

Elisabete Aparecida De Nadai Fernandes; Helder Louvandini; Vildes Maria Scussel; Gilberto Batista de Souza

• Advisor: Elisabete Aparecida De Nadai Fernandes; Peter Bode

Abstract

Commercial dog foods should be a balanced diet that meets all nutritional requirements at different stages of the animal\'s life. Its formulation should contain quality ingredients in suitable proportions. The knowledge of the nutritional value of dog food is fundamental to ensure that the animal is ingesting daily right amounts of nutrients. The imbalance of essential elements and the presence of toxic elements can cause nutritional problems, diseases, and even fatal consequences for dogs. Copper is one of several important factors to be studied for metabolic defects in dogs. Copper accumulation in the liver may cause progressive lesions in the organelles of hepatocytes, resulting in chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Thus, this study aimed to (I) determine essential and potentially toxic chemical elements in the dog food for puppies and adults, (II) assess the proximate composition of the sampled dog food, (III) evaluate the between-bag variation of chemical elements in dog food within the same production lot of one brand, (IV) study the representativeness of small test portions of dog food collected from regular 1 kg packed bags, (V) assess the in vitro bioaccessibility of copper in dog food. The chemical elements Al, As, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Ti, U and Zn were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The proximate composition was evaluated by AOAC recommended methods. The homogeneity of chemical elements distribution in the dog food was evaluated by analysis of large samples (LS-NAA). The bioaccessibility of copper was estimated by in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion. INAA was a suitable analytical tool for characterizing the profile of mineral nutrients, i.e., Ca, P, K, Na, Cl, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, I and Se in dog food with reference values set by Association of American Feed Control Officials. High concentrations of the toxic elements Al, Sb and U were observed in some dog food samples. Approximately 16% of dog food samples presented, at least, one value outside the reference limits from proximate composition. The results obtained by LS-NAA and conventional NAA showed between-bag compositional variability for Br, Ca, Na and Zn, with a good agreement between both methods. The use of LS NAA combined with conventional NAA allowed to observe that the small 350 mg portions of dry dog food taken for analysis is representative of one kilogram bag for Br, Ca, K, Na and Zn. In all dog foods, 50 % of the copper was present in bioaccessible form (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/52425-7 - Nutritional quality of dog food: influence of zinc in the absorption of copper and in the prevention of hepatic disease
• Grantee: Camila Elias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate