With pet food nutrition taking on a human direction, Tree Top’s fruit offerings can aid product developers in formulating pet foods with natural, easily recognizable ingredients.

Made in USA with clean, simple ingredients

Consumers’ top concerns when purchasing pet food include a desire for foods processed in the U.S. and cleaner, simpler product profiles. Tree Top, Inc. offers pet food formulators a full portfolio of wholesome, high-quality fruit ingredients processed in the U.S., in a wide variety of forms, to create specialized pet food offerings.

Clean Label

Fruits and vegetables cannot only help meet a pet’s dietary needs, but also supply great tag appeal as they score high marks as label friendly ingredients.  Package tags that call attention to special ingredient benefits or properties become increasingly important in a market that has seen a shift towards online purchasing. Health and wellness concerns tagged on the package front or label makes it more likely to capture the consumer’s attention, even when shopping online.

Functional Ingredients

Fruit ingredients offer the opportunity to tap into their nutraceutical or phytonutrient qualities, such as antioxidants and vitamins. Fruit can add fiber, aid with texture, add color, help control moisture and act as part of special formulations designed to address specific owner concerns, such as weight management.

Top Ingredient Flavors for pet food category:  Apple, Cranberry and Blueberry

Fruit for Fiber

Pet food formulators, constantly on the search for alternative fiber sources could look to fruit ingredients, which are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by FDA, are nutritionally adequate for inclusion in pet food formulation and possess potential nutraceutical properties.

While it is true that dogs are more omnivorous and cats primarily carnivorous, each species benefits from the right type and right amount of fiber in the diet.

The ratio of insoluble to soluble fiber varies depending on the type of fruit. Some soluble fibers have been known to exert a positive influence on blood glucose levels. This soluble fiber potentially could be met using fruits.

Strawberry, raspberry and blueberry purée with seeds is safe for pet consumption for both dogs and cats, and can supply added soluble and insoluble fiber even when included in low levels in formulations.

Dried apples and fruit powder contain fiber, which can help bind water. When used in the right ratio, this can be an advantageous fiber addition to consider in wet pet food production. Wet food demands greater water content than dry, yet also a firm texture and low water activity.

Call Us

Our R&D departments welcome any customization challenge and we love working with our clients to create something brand new. We’re ready to provide innovative ideas, prototypes, packaging alternatives, and the world’s juiciest, tastiest and most delicious fruit products — naturally. Contact Tree Top at (800) 367-6571 ext. 1435

Fruits’ Benefits are Endless…

Leveraging the Antioxidant Properties of Fruits and Vegetables

Free Radicals Matter

Consumers know that antioxidants from fruits and vegetables provide positive benefits for their own health and they are looking for these same benefits for their pets. The most common antioxidants used in dog food, for example, include vitamin E, vitamin C, citric acid and rosemary. Vitamin C is commonly found in cranberries, blueberries, apples and some other fruits. Powerful antioxidants contained in these fruits can help the body, human or animal, fight free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive, oxygen-containing molecules that can damage cell membranes and enzymes, which makes the nervous and immune system especially vulnerable. Free radicals are considered factors in disease progression and premature aging. The right amount of antioxidants in a pet food or treat can help make a difference. Antioxidants within the formula work together to support overall health and provide for the entire body. Antioxidants supply multiple health benefits, including but not limited to anti-inflammatory effects, positive impact on immunity, retinal responses and physiological changes in the brain.

Anti-inflammatory Foods

Many fruits and vegetables contain a diverse array of phytochemicals known as phenolics. This includes flavonoids, such as anthocyanins. Some anthocyanins, like quercetin for example, can cross the blood-brain barrier. Phytochemicals have a complex molecular structure allowing them to bind free radicals, so they cannot attack metabolic systems within the body. Some of the fruits experts recommend for their anti-inflammatory properties can include pineapples, apples, mangos, cantaloupes and berries, particularly blueberries. Vegetables like pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes and carrots can also be very helpful for inflammation due to the beta-carotene content.

Visual Response

Antioxidants are now documented as influencing retinal response, particularly in dogs. A specific study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science 4 found, “Antioxidant supplementation…may be beneficial and effective in the long-term preservation and improvement of various functions of the canine eye.”