Unlike the detailed list of nutritional requirements for human food, pet food in North America must only report on four main values in their Guaranteed Analysis on the label: protein, fat, fiber, and moisture. Additional nutrients must be included if they are called out specifically on the label, but manufacturers can also voluntarily add more nutrients to provide consumers with more information or further demonstrate the nutritional value of their products. One voluntary "nutrient" that shows up with surprising frequency in these lists is actually "Ash". But ash in the analysis doesn't actually mean ash is in the food. Rather, it explains the process by which mineral content is determined.
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While plant-based proteins have been part of humanity's diet for centuries, it wasn't until the advent of the original textured vegetable protein (TVP) in the 1960s that it started becoming a viable replacement for animal-based protein sources in more mainstream diets. The first commercially available plant-based proteins would not be mistaken for animal-based protein sources and were largely of interest only to vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians.
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Analysing animal feed samples for moisture and ash content can be a tedious and time-consuming task for labs and companies in the food and feed industry. However, with LECO's TGA801, this process can be streamlined and automated to save time and reduce manual labor.
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Pet ownership has increased over the last few years, when an explosive boom during the COVID-19 lockdowns showing no signs of stopping. Over 70% of American households have at least one pet, with most of those homes having at least one cat or dog. As pet ownership continues to rise, so too does the demand for pet food.
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eFOOD-Lab International – Interview with Express Micro Science
Express Micro Science (EMS) is the only food nutritional laboratory in Scotland, serving clients in food, leisure, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. For more than ten years, they've had constant, steady growth. But after they added protein determination to their services, they struggled with their instruments and results. Finally, in 2020, after five years of frustration, they chose to replace their old instruments with the LECO protein determinators.
When the Kaunis Iron Mine opened in Sweden, it was the newest in one of Sweden's biggest industries. The mine contracted with Degerfors Laboratory (D-LAB) for their iron analysis. Before analysis could be run on the samples, however, the ore had to be dried and moisture levels measured.
D-LAB had a problem: their current moisture determination methods use d a manual balance that could only handle one sample at a time, requiring a technician's attention every five minutes. The ISO 3087:2020 method used was also a problem, as a single run could take more than 5 hours to complete. The lab turned to LECO for a solution.
The Dumas method has several advantages over the Kjeldahl method: it is much faster, with much lower operating costs, no real safety issues, and no toxic waste produced. However, there is a debate over which of the two main approaches to the Dumas method is better: a vertical or a horizontal combustion furnace. Determined to settle the question on which method is more precise and offers the most advantages, LECO chemists analyzed many sample types in both an FP828 and an FP928.
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