| Experiments were conducted to define the effects of processing variables on canine digestive efficiency. Included were analytical evaluation of commercial dry dog foods and the effects of degree of cooking on starch digestion.;Cooking temperatures of dry dog food using corn, wheat and grain sorghum based rations were examined. Using 12 adult Beagles, digestion trials were conducted to determine if low (82 C), medium (107 C), or high (149 C) process temperatures affected the digestion of starch and other nutrients. There was an increase in digestion of starch, dry matter, protein, fat and energy as the process temperature increased. These increases in digestion usually were not large, although they were significant. The range of starch digestibilities was 98.06% for the low temperature grain sorghum diet up to 99.45% for the high temperature corn diet.;Four adult Beagles were fitted with ileal-cecal cannulas so that starch digestion prior to the large intestine could be examined. Cooked and uncooked dry dog food was fed and digesta samples collected. Both of the test rations, cooked and uncooked, had similar starch digestibilities, 67.6% and 67.2%, respectively, prior to the cecum and large intestine.;Fifty commercial dry dog foods, purchased in 1980, were analyzed so that information on the degree of starch gelatinization could be compared. Also compared were the results of proximate analysis. Most samples met the established NRC requirements, the exceptions being maintenance type dog food. |
