--- title: "Analytical constituents and composition: how to read & understand them" description: "Analytical constituents and composition: how to read & understand them" image: https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Read-the-labels-4_1140x675-5.jpeg --- [![almonature-logo-4](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/almonature-logo-4.svg) ](https://www.almonature.com/en/?hsLang=en-gb) ![EN](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/country_flags/gb.svg) [![almonature-logo-4](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/almonature-logo-4.svg) ](https://www.almonature.com/en/?hsLang=en-gb) - Products - [Companion for Life](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life?hsLang=en-gb) - Call for Projects - About us - [Where to buy](https://www.almonature.com/it/trova-un-negozio?hsLang=en-gb) Products - Cat Food - Dog Food - Cat Litter Cat Food - [All Cat Food](https://www.almonature.com/it/prodotti-per-gatti?hsLang=en-gb) - [Functional](https://www.almonature.com/it/alimenti-funzionali?hsLang=en-gb) - [Kibble](https://www.almonature.com/it/gatto-crocchette?hsLang=en-gb) - [Wet food](https://www.almonature.com/it/gatto-umido?hsLang=en-gb) - [Snack](https://www.almonature.com/it/gatto-snack?hsLang=en-gb) [![bio-diversity-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/bio-diversity-menu-icon.png) Impact on biodiversity ](https://www.almonature.com/it/impatto-sulla-biodiversit%C3%A0?hsLang=en-gb) [![nutritional-advice-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/nutritional-advice-menu-icon.png) Cat nutrition advice ](https://www.almonature.com/it/consiglio-nutrizionale-gatto?hsLang=en-gb) Dog Food - [All Dog Food](https://www.almonature.com/it/prodotti-per-cani?hsLang=en-gb) - [Kibble](https://www.almonature.com/it/cane-crocchette?hsLang=en-gb) - [Wet food](https://www.almonature.com/it/cane-umido?hsLang=en-gb) - [Snack](https://www.almonature.com/it/cane-snack?hsLang=en-gb) [![bio-diversity-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/bio-diversity-menu-icon.png) Impact on biodiversity ](https://www.almonature.com/it/impatto-sulla-biodiversit%C3%A0?hsLang=en-gb) [![nutritional-advice-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/nutritional-advice-menu-icon.png) Dog nutrition advice ](https://www.almonature.com/it/consiglio-nutrizionale-cane?hsLang=en-gb) Cat Litter - [All Litter](https://www.almonature.com/it/lettiere?hsLang=en-gb) - [Soft Texture](https://www.almonature.com/it/catlitter-soft-texture?hsLang=en-gb) - [Grain Texture](https://www.almonature.com/it/catlitter-grain-texture?hsLang=en-gb) Call for Projects - [Home Page](https://www.almonature.com/it/re-community?hsLang=en-gb) - [Participating projects](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life/projects?hsLang=en-gb) - [International commission](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life/re-community-giuria?hsLang=en-gb) - [FAQs](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life/faqs-domande-frequenti?hsLang=en-gb) - [Download the call for projects](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/re-community-projects/UK-Companion-for-Life-Call-for-Project-Annex-1-and-2.pdf?hsLang=en-gb) About us - [Brand Profile](https://www.almonature.com/it/manifesto?hsLang=en-gb) - [Our history](https://www.almonature.com/it/la-storia?hsLang=en-gb) - [The company](https://www.almonature.com/it/rendicontazione?hsLang=en-gb) - [Reintegration Economy](https://www.almonature.com/it/reintegration-economy?hsLang=en-gb) ![Analytical constituents and composition: how to read & understand them](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Read-the-labels-4_1140x675-5.jpeg) *The composition and analytical constituents lists crowd the labels of the foods we buy for our dogs and often cause confusion. Let's make them clear!* > "I bought your [Alternative dry food for my dog](https://www.almonature.com/en/product-details/alternative/?hsLang=en-gb), but it contains 50% meat! Isn't that too much protein?" We often receive such questions from consumers who are trying to make sense of the myriad of information on pet food packaging and align with everything they have heard or read. It's easy to get confused, especially between the two main lists that make up a label, namely composition and analytical constituents: **Composition (Ingredients):** defines, in descending order (according to weight), all ingredients in the recipe, meat, rice, vegetables, etc. The list of ingredients is important because it allows us to understand the quality of the raw materials used **Analytical constituents:** this list shows the nutrient analysis of the finished product, defining the amount of protein, fibre, fats, etc. – the list of analytical constituents is just an **index of quantity, not quality**! In practice therefore, **the amount of meat in the recipe does not equate to protein intake**. Reading the label of Alternative dry food for example, we read in the composition (ingredients) list " **fresh chicken 50%**", but the analytical constituents list, which measures the amount of protein in the entire recipe (i.e. taking into consideration all the proteins in the other ingredients and not just in the fresh HFC meat), indicates **24% protein** (not 50%).The protein content of [Alternative](https://www.almonature.com/en/product-details/alternative/?hsLang=en-gb) and [Alternative 170](https://www.almonature.com/en/product-details/alternative/?hsLang=en-gb) recipes for dogs is perfectly balanced to meet the nutritional needs of adult dogs.The big difference compared to other dry foods is the [quality of the fresh meat](https://www.almonature.com/en/hfc/?hsLang=en-gb), i.e. certified HFC from the human food chain. **Meat quality affects the digestibility and assimilation of proteins**. An example? **Chicken feathers **are rich in protein and, if analysed, would report a high percentage in a recipe's analytical constituents. But are they digestible? What is the bioavailability of a feather? Can a dog really assimilate the amount of protein needed for its well-being? Or will it be unable to digest the protein and therefore expel the protein in its faeces? **Attention to quality** should always be the very first product verification. The calculation of the nutritional characteristics can be considered later, after checking the **bioavailability** of the ingredients. #### Related Articles [![100% HFC Rice: the only cereal chosen to prepare Alternative](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Rice-1140x675-5.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/100-hfc-rice-the-only-cereal-chosen-to-prepare-alternative?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [100% HFC Rice: the only cereal chosen to prepare Alternative](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/100-hfc-rice-the-only-cereal-chosen-to-prepare-alternative?hsLang=en-gb) Alternative and Alternative 170 recipes are **single cereal**: both formulations contain a unique source of carbohydrates, namely  **100% HFC rice** – i.e. rice that was... [![Alternative, Green Label and Classic Raw Pack: the differences](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Pouches_Differences-1140x675_NEW-4.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/alternative-green-label-and-classic-raw-pack-the-differences?hsLang=en-gb) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [Alternative, Green Label and Classic Raw Pack: the differences](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/alternative-green-label-and-classic-raw-pack-the-differences?hsLang=en-gb) Alternative, Green Label and Classic Raw Pack are the three lines of Almo Nature wet food for cats prepared with a unique "Raw Pack" cooking method.Let's look at some of... [![The ideal dry food for dogs](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dog-Kibble-1140x675_-4-1.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/ideal-dry-food-dogs?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [The ideal dry food for dogs](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/ideal-dry-food-dogs?hsLang=en-gb) ### ***A dog's nutritional characteristics*** Our dog is often considered a fully-fledged member of the family however, we should not forget that dogs have physiological,... [![100% HFC Nutrition: how much does it cost?](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/30-cents-more-1140x675-5.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/100-hfc-nutrition-how-much-does-it-cost?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [100% HFC Nutrition: how much does it cost?](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/100-hfc-nutrition-how-much-does-it-cost?hsLang=en-gb) *Are you sure Alternative is too expensive? Even after evaluating the quality of the ingredients?*Meat and fish are generally more expensive than cereals and vegetables.A... [![How to feed your cat in summer](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/GattoEstate_1140x675-1-4.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/feed-cat-summer?hsLang=en-gb) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [How to feed your cat in summer](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/feed-cat-summer?hsLang=en-gb) The heat of the summer has well and truly arrived. It is easy to keep some animals hydrated, for example, give dogs a water bowl and they will hydrate themselves.... [![Green Label, Rouge Label and Classic become HFC](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/1140x675-3.png) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/green-label-rouge-label-classic-become-hfc?hsLang=en-gb) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [Green Label, Rouge Label and Classic become HFC](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/green-label-rouge-label-classic-become-hfc?hsLang=en-gb) *Green Label, Rouge Label and Classic single serve pouches from Almo Nature change their look and become HFC.* **HFC** is the label that distinguishes Almo Nature products... [![Customer story: The ‘Legend' of Luna the cat](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/unnamed-1-5.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/customer-story-the-legend-of-luna-the-cat?hsLang=en-gb) Companion For Life, [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) [Project stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/project-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [Customer story: The ‘Legend' of Luna the cat](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/customer-story-the-legend-of-luna-the-cat?hsLang=en-gb) It is always heart-warming when our clients entrust us with their personal pet stories. And of course, we are delighted to hear cases when the **health of a pet has...** [![HFC ingredients: Discovering Alternative!](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Alternative-Main-Image-2.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/hfc-ingredients-discovering-alternative?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) July 12,2016 ###### [HFC ingredients: Discovering Alternative!](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/hfc-ingredients-discovering-alternative?hsLang=en-gb) ### **The characteristics of Alternative dry food** Alternative is the innovative dry food for [dogs](https://www.almonature.com/en/product-details/alternative-dry/?hsLang=en-gb) and [cats](https://www.almonature.com/en/product-details/alternative-dry/?hsLang=en-gb) from Almo Nature, the first and only dry food that avoids use of meat... - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand?hsLang=en-gb) - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand?hsLang=en-gb) - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand?hsLang=en-gb) - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand?hsLang=en-gb) [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand?hsLang=en-gb) ![Chat with us](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/icons/chat-icon.png) AlmoNature AI ![Close chat](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/icons/close-icon.png) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Almo Nature", "url" : "https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/author/almonature" }, "dateModified" : "2022-02-06T03:08:34.294Z", "datePublished" : "2016-07-12T22:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Analytical constituents and composition: how to read & understand them", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/almonature-logo-4.svg" }, "name" : "Almo Nature S.p.A" } } ```