Manhattan, Kansas – November 10, 2017 – Petfood R&D Showcase attendees learned that despite the grain-free pet food craze, a full 80 percent of the total US pet food market is still comprised of conventional ingredients like grains.

Greg Aldrich, PhD, coordinator of Kansas State University’s pet food program and longtime industry nutrition consultant, led off the research portion of the showcase with that data from Packaged Facts. Petfood R&D Showcase was held at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, on October 10-12, 2017.

Attendees had the exclusive opportunity to learn from pet food experts on a variety of topics, including how to use grain-based diets to maximize pet food safety, an in-depth look at kill-step validation, how to harness cereal crop diversity for improved health, alternative co-products streams from grains used in pet food applications and more. Ancient grains are gaining popularity in human foods, with the pet food industry closely following.

According to the Petfood R&D Showcase survey conducted after the event, 82 percent of attendees said they can immediately apply the knowledge learned during the event in their professional setting.

In addition to presentations on emerging research, attendees participated in six interactive lab demonstrations that emphasized the incorporation of whole and ancient grains. These activities included: exploring how the processing of different ancient grains impact hydration capacity, texture, and visual appearance of a finished treat; discovering the diversity of malted, sprouted and grain ingredients and the functionality it lends to pet food applications; and mixing different ancient grains, adding functional enzymes and choosing novel flavors to create unique baked pet treats.

Petfood R&D Showcase will take place again in the fall of 2018 in Manhattan, Kansas. For more information about this and other Petfood Forum events visit PetfoodForumEvents.com.

About Petfood Forum & Petfood Industry
Petfood Forum is organized and hosted by Petfood Industry (www.petfoodindustry.com). Both are owned by WATT Global Media, a content company founded in 1917 that provides exceptional business content and solutions to the agribusiness industry. As an industry innovator, WATT Global Media has connected buyers and sellers in the poultry, pig, animal feed and pet food industries through its media channels for 100 years (www.WATTGlobalMedia.com).

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Contact:
Lynzee Glass, Forum Marketing Coordinator
o. +1.815.966.5521 | e. lglass@wattglobal.com