AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE DE RAÇÕES PARA CÃES ADULTOS E FILHOTES COMERCIALMENTE CLASSIFICADAS PREMIUM

Abstract

In Brazil, we have the second largest population of animals in the world, according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) census of 2018, only behind the United States. There are 54.2 million dogs and 23.9 million cats. Quality control aims at the biological safety of pet food. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical composition of commercial premium feeds for adult dogs and puppies. The samples (Sample A - adults; Sample B - puppies) were collected and analyzed in January, February and March 2020, following the determinations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) and with the analysis methodologies described by Instituto Adolfo Lutz (2008), with some adaptations. The results of the analyzes were compared with the minimum and maximum values allowed by the MAPA. The results of the analyzes were submitted to ANOVA and the Tukey test at the 5% level to verify the interaction between the means. There were no significant differences in the average moisture content for Sample A (6.91%), the same was observed for Sample B (6.43%). The average values of Water Activity of Sample A and Sample B did not present statistically significant differences, showing respectively, 0.51 and 0.47. The peroxide content was negative for all samples, indicating that the rations showed chemical stability. The average acidity contents showed significant variation for all samples over time, with the average acidity of Ration A being 0.53% and Ration B of 0.45 %. The data indicated that the follow-up and monitoring of feed quality control in a factory environment makes all the difference in maintaining the characteristics of the final product.