It’s probably no surprise that animal proteins are the most important nutrients for developing cat and dog food. They’re rich in essential amino acids, are fundamental in maintaining and growing cell structures, and help to facilitate the many other metabolic and biological functions of the body. But not every type of protein is the same, some are better than others. When it comes to making dry food, we choose the type of animal protein that will provide quality to the raw materials as well as the finished product. But that’s not all, we also think about the processing method and the tools and storage systems we need, which affect the final quality of the product, as well as the cost.
Animal proteins and kibble
There are numerous types of kibble on the market that are all made with different types of proteins, not just tastes and flavours but also in terms of fresh or dehydrated meats. We explain the difference below:
Fresh meat/ fish: these ingredients never leave the "cold chain". They’re simply transported and stored in cold rooms until they’re cooked and transformed into kibble. This means the ingredients are not exposed to thermal stress and retain more nutrients. Processing fresh meat requires special machinery and takes longer as opposed to using animal meal.
Meat meal/ dehydrated meat: both are ground into flour-like substances. Ingredients are subjected to different types of processing, some at high temperature-methods that destroy or alter the nutritional value of the ingredients, to turn them into flour-like substances. They can then remain in pantries or silos for prolonged periods of time until they’re used. They’ll need to be cooked again to form into kibble.
One of the main differences between fresh and meal/dehydrated products is that they aren't pre-cooked before being processed into kibble. Due to using the cold chain, the fresh meat is preserved because modern technology enables us to turn the fresh meat into kibble in one go: the fresh meat is cooked and immediately extruded into kibble.
Using the cold chain eliminates the need for chemical preservatives in order to maintain the nutritiousness of the raw material. Dehydrated meats and meat meals can go off if they’re not properly stored, compromising the smell and the taste.
Fresh ingredients: meat and fish
Using fresh meat and fish circumnavigates the use of high-temperature processes that can lead to a decrease of the nutritional value of foods, and preserves essential nutrients such as proteins and amino acids instead, ensuring a high quality kibble that's easier to digest and responds better to the intestinal flora of dogs and cats.
This is why fresh meat/ fish are more valuable and more expensive: it’s like choosing to use milk and fresh eggs or milk powder and freeze-dried eggs to prepare a cake.
Our kibble with fresh meat or fresh fish
Almo Nature always opts for quality and respects the innate nature of companion animals. This is why it’s committed to develop a kibble that satisfies the nutritional needs, whilst guaranteeing a high quality and tasty experience.
HFC
The acronym indicates that the ingredients inside the recipe are all high-quality and originally fit for human consumption.
HFC is made with 100% fresh HFC meat or fish: the highest quality of ingredients for your dog and cat.
HFC kibble has 100% fresh and 100% HFC meat or fish as its first ingredient. It contains no meat meal or dehydrated meat, bringing nature back in your companion's belly.
Meat and fish are 100% HFC, i.e. originally fit for human consumption.
The use of fresh meat or fish makes the kibble more digestible and nutrients will be absorbed more easily.
Fresh meat or fish help the intestinal flora work better.
A single source of animal protein for all animals with digestive "difficulties"
Holistic
Holistic is a kibble with up to 26% fresh fish or meat for cats and dogs that are highly digestible. The range contains some functional recipes of cats with specific needs.
Prepared with lots of fresh meat (26%) listed as the first ingredient on the label.
A selection of high-quality ingredients to guarantee a complete and nutritionally balanced meal.
Functional recipes for cats include:
Sterilised for sterilised cats
Anti-Hairball to prevent the formation of hairballs
Digestive Help to contribute to the daily functioning of the intestinal system
Urinary Help for the daily functioning of the urinary tract
There are also wet food recipes available.
If you want to know more about our products and want to discover all our kibble recipes with fresh meat, take a look at
our product page.