Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy1999  Cellulose is the most common organic compound on Earth, so it's about as natural as you can get! It's not just in trees, but it's in all green plants. It use to be in low calorie breads, and I've eaten it before. Remember, some ingredients are used as thickeners and stabilizers. It may be used the way corn starch is used in some products. It's also in ice cream and shredded cheeses. I'm sure it "sounds bad" to some people, but is there any proof it is bad? |
It's also a common ingredient in toothpaste manufacturing, i.e. cellulose gum. It would make perfect sense to me that it is found in Science Diet.
More on commercial cellulose from
The World of Cellulose Gums:
"Most commercially used cellulose comes from renewable materials like cotton linter and pulp from softwood trees. Purified celluloses, like powdered cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose, are widely used as sources of insoluble fiber in food products. They can also be used to create special texture effects. Powdered cellulose is a mechanically ground cellulose, and it is mainly used as an anticaking, dispersing and texturizing agent. Microcrystalline cellulose, a more-refined product, is a partially depolymerized cellulose prepared by treating alpha cellulose with mineral acid. Colloidal microcrystalline cellulose is usually processed by adding sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to depolymerized cellulose before drying it. These products have found a great niche in lowfat applications where they provide fatty texture and creamy mouthfeel.
Cellulose can be modified through different chemical reactions to create a wide range of products with very specific characteristics, ranging from products that provide mouthfeel and low viscosity to those capable of creating gels when heated.[...]
Three cellulose derivatives are commonly used to create special effects in food products. Probably one of the most-popular gums used in the food industry to create clear solutions is sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), or cellulose gum, as it is more commonly known. It is an anionic, water-soluble, cellulose ether-obtained by treating cellulose with sodium hydroxide followed by reaction with monochloroacetic acid. This reaction replaces hydroxyl groups with carboxymethyl groups along the cellulose chain."
In my opinion, and given that there are a multitude of grain free options to the pet food consumer, the question is not "is it bad", but instead, is it "optimal".