Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy1999  So you are saying you removed the number 28 from the label because it "confused" people, but the new product still contains 28% protein? |
Hi Nancy!
It was more with the Size Health Nutrition formulas we have where the confusion was coming from. Owners would visit a store and ask for the "28 formula", but it would refer to a few formulas rather than a single formula.
Specifically for the Yorkie formula (referencing the Canadian formula on the website,
Yorkshire Terrier Adult / Breeds / Dog Diets / Pet Store Products / Home - RoyalCanin) it contains 26% min Crude Protein.
This might open a brief chat about what exactly the "crude" in crude protein means. Crude refers to the simple process that is used to estimate the protein level. It is a very old process. Essentially what happens is a sample is taken and burned in a special laboratory machine called a Protein Analyzer. The machine captures and measures the amount of Nitrogen released from the sample. Nitrogen is a component (protein) and that value is directly proportional to the level of protein in the sample.
The total amount of protein is good to know, but it doesn't provide you with information on the individual amino acid levels, the digestibility or the quality. RC actually does additional testing at our Americas Regional Lab (ARL) here is Guelph to obtain precise amino acid levels and well as simulate the digestibility. This provides us more information about the formula and how it will benefit the pet. If all you did was a crude protein analysis, I could theoretically test a formula that contained hair and a leather boot, and probably obtain the same crude protein level as a commercially available pet food. Why? because leather and hair contain protein. The protein is not available for digestion in the body in its current state, but the machine would still capture the nitrogen and provide a crude protein value.
Why did I want to explain what crude protein is? You might have noticed that the formula went from min 28% to min 26% protein. This is a guaranteed analysis value (a minimum). Another possible protein measurement would be to look at the typical analysis value (an average), which is more accurate than the guaranteed analysis from a protein level standpoint, but still doesn’t give any information about the quality, digestibility, or amino acid profile of the protein. Basically, the “28” was a number that created a lot of confusion, without providing useful information. The measured amount of protein in a formula is not as important as the amount of protein that is digested and used by the body. Each time RC updates a formula we make sure the palatability, digestibility and performance is equivalent or better than the current formula. In this instance, we were able to increase the digestible (usable) protein. Protein that is not used by the body is wasted in the stool, and can even cause stool issues such as flatulence and soft/smelly stool.
Hopefully this helps
Ashley