Dogs tend to eat anything that comes across like toilet paper, slippers, balls, etc. They can have the same food every day but after some time they need a change in taste. Some of the picky eaters also create problems for their owners. They do not like to eat anything that comes to their bowls.
But they find some of the food more palatable. Gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry is a technique used to find the demanding compounds liked by dogs.
Chromatography is a scientific technique used for the separation of different organic compounds. Chromatography has different types according to the quantity and physical state of separate components.
Gas chromatography separates different components present in smaller quantities in a mixture. The technique of mass- spectrometry gives structural information of the separating components.
The combination of these two techniques not only identifies the compounds that are more appealing to dogs but also gives their structural specifications.
This information gives the dog food manufacturers a specific idea to formulate a more appealing and palatable dog meal.
Dogs select their food like humans based upon their senses of smell, taste, touch, etc. But they have a most prominent sense of smell. At the University of Jianghan, China, researchers gave six types of foods to six dogs and measure their consumption in one hour.
Later they tested food that was more consumed and through the technique of GC-MS scientists find more palatable and appealing food compounds.
Test results indicate that the preferred compounds include 2-hexenal (unpleasant fatty odor for human), 2-furfurylthiol (roasted and smoky odor), and 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol (meaty odor).
The results will help dog food manufacturers to have a more appealing and palatable formula.
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