Why Retort Packaging is not the saviour & making your pet gain weight

So whats this magic with the wave of preservative free and long lasting wet-food packets popping up everywhere as the new healthy food saviour?

We as Canine India & me personally as Julia have been approached several times to do retort packaging so I took a deep dive into the process and decided strongly against it.

 Canine India will never do Retort Packaging.

And here is why:

Food supplies nutrients to our dogs and cats. These nutrients are in their most absorbable (aka usable) and natural form in meat protein. 

Protein denaturalises when heated - meaning its structure changes. 

Take a raw egg and expose it to heat - you will see the protein change right? 

A raw protein can always be altered by heating but it can never be changed back. Same for eggs or any other food.

Retort packaging means that cooked / processed food is packed in thick plastic layers and then heated to sterilize everything. 

This means that all bacteria (probiotics as well), enzymes are killed / disabled as well as the protein and consequently the amino acids are not in their original form anymore.

One example from a recent study done in Japan is the following about an amino acid called 'Lysine'.

Lysine is blocked by the heating process.

Lysine is a building block of many proteins and essential for proper growth. It plays an essential role in the production of carnitine, a nutrient responsible for converting fatty acids into energy and helping lower cholesterol.

This is why pets tend to gain weight on retort diets and why particularly puppies need un- or minimally processed foods.

Dont believe the hype about retort packaging, canned or retort its the same thing. Make sure the ingredients are sourced responsibly and are balanced.

 

Is retort packaging the worst? No! Its kind of canned food, now to save money and time in production the food gets put in plastic bags to avoid more expensive tins. Its not the revolution its being marketed as.

Here is a surprising conclusion of the aforementioned study:

"These results strongly suggest that the retort processes affect the physicochemical properties of the enteral liquid formula more intensively compared with the UHT process." 

Last thought - think about how much microplastic seeps into your pets food in the retort packaging process...

Lightly cook your pets food or bake it at low temperatures, leaving pieces of meat in one rather than chunking before cooking can also help retain nutrients. Additionally feed the water that meat was cooked in for extra nutrients!

Or opt for a trusted source like Canine India!