Dehydration is one of Rocketo’s brand pillars. We are the only commercial pet food company in Europe that slowly air-dries raw ingredients 40ºC or below without using artificial minerals or vitamins. The reason for this, is to ensure that as many of the nutrients in our foods stay intact and therefore just as bioavailable to the body as they would be in their raw state.
We chose this method because nearly all commercial pet foods share the same foundational flaws, for example:
KIBBLE DRY / WET FOOD:
- Added synthetic vitamins and minerals
- Additives/Preservatives
- Reduced enzymatic activity
- Rendered fats
- Very few bioactive Compounds
PRE_MADE RAW:
- Potential pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria and parasitic worms, larvae and eggs risks, However commercially produced raw carried out by manufacturers who carry a DEFRA licence will perform laboratory tests to ensure pathogenic safety.
- The main issue with these pathogens is the risk of cross contamination between utensils/equipment in the preparation of the raw diet.
- Rocketo was created to address these issues and help support the whole health of your dogs long term while still being as convenient as your everyday kibble.
BENEFITS OF BESPOKE DEHYDRATION METHOD
VITAMINS MINERALS
Dehydration helps to preserve these nutrients, but we were aware that the higher the dehydration temperatures over shorter times can cause a loss of nutrients, which is why we dehydrate as low as possible over a longer period of time, this is important especially for Vitamin C.(1) This means we don’t have to fortify with synthetic versions of these nutrients to support the whole health of your dog.
Some vitamins are more sensitive to heat than others, such as water soluble vitamins they tend to degrade after being exposed to heat, oxidised water or general exposure to air (room temperature) .
Here’s a list of vitamins affected by temperature: ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine), folacin, vitamin B12, biotin, and pantothenic acid.(10) they can lose up to 60% when gently cooked, they leach out into the pan, so those “juices” that come from meat/vegetables is a leach of nutrients.
During dehydration, they become more potent (by weight) which reverses when you rehydrate the food.
NATURAL PRESERVATION
Dehydration means we don’t have to rely on chemical preservatives for shelf life, the bespoke dehydration methods removes oxidative water which ensures that microbiological growth doesn’t occur, this is the growth that “spoils” your foods.(2)
Humans have used dehydration for this reason for centuries, globally and still do. This works because dehydration remove water content, which controls the microbiological degeneration of foods, including bacteria, as long as moisture is kept between 0-25% there will be no microbiological growth(8). All our ingredients are thoroughly batch tested, to ensure they are pathogen free.
ENZYMES
Slow dehydration (Air drying) below 40ºC ensures all enzymes are left intact.
Enzymes such as proteolytic enzymes are found in meats, plants and fungi. When we eat them they actually help us digest the foods that contain them. Dr Edward Howell in the early 1900’s discovered that the enzymes in raw and minimally processed foods are vital for whole health, they help the body digest foods and put less stress on the pancreas to produce the enzymes required. (9)
That’s the downside to the majority of commercial pet foods, when enzymes are subjected to heat above 45ºC they start to denature (get destroyed) (3). This is why pet food companies have to add in synthetic digestive enzymes.
FATS
Dehydration at below 40ºC ensures that any fats present don’t render (melt under heat). Fats have to be subjected to temperatures above 55ºC to render, when they do, they oxidise quickly and become rancid, this fuels microbiological growth and destroys vitamins such as A and E, it also affects palatability (4,5).
AMINO ACIDS
Dehydration (Air Drying) means that our ingredients don’t go through the “maillard reaction”(5), which is known to reduce the bioavailability of amino acids including those essential for dogs.
Amino acids are the building blocks within proteins that are used to grow/repair/strengthen muscles in the body, there are 10 essential amino acids dogs need because they lack the ability to synthesize them internally, these are: Arginine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine.
BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS
Dehydration helps to promote bioavailability by ensuring bioactive compounds remain intact such as health-promoting phytochemicals like flavonoids and phenolic compounds, when these are subjected to heat such as boiling (100ºC) they are reduced and the food becomes less bioavailable and unable to support your dog’s body on a cellular level. (7)
ROCKETO’S APPROACH
Rocketo are pioneering the way with convenient nutritious pet foods, our process is bespoke to us and there isn’t any scientific studies currently that refer to our dehydration at 40ºC or below, the bulk of the studies around start from 60ºC+, those studies however highlight the benefits of preserving with dehydration but such high dehydration temperatures come at a cost such as loss of vitamins, enzymes and amino acids.
This is why you should #GoRocketo. We have followed the science to address the flaws that are present in most commercially available pet foods, all of our products go through quality checks by our diverse, highly experienced science team. They are smelt and even tasted before going on sale, we don’t make anything for dogs we wouldn’t eat ourselves!
PS FUN FACT
The average human body temperature is 37ºC and the ideal bathing temperature is 40-45ºC, we subject our products to temperatures lower than most humans bathe in, this is a bespoke method that allows us to create convenient and healthy dog foods with the use of organic /wild ingredients.
References
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