Nutrition Vegetables

The first pet food, a baked mixture of meat, vegetables, and wheat flour, was produced in the late 1800s. Early canned dog foods were composed mostly of meat from horses or dead stock. In the 1950s, high quaUty, nutritionally balanced, oven-baked, and pelleted dog foods became popular with dog owners and provided the most economical and satisfactory sources of dog nutrition. The extmsion process for pet foods was developed in 1954 and by 1957 extmded dog food had become the nation s leading dry pet food. 

Fa.ts nd Oils. Eats and oils from rendering animal and fish offal and vegetable oilseeds provide nutritional by-products used as a source of energy, unsaturated fatty acids, and palatabiHty enhancement. Eats influence the texture in finished pet foods. The use and price of the various melting point fats is deterrnined by the type and appearance of the desired finished food appearance. 

Soybean Protein Isolates. Soybean protein isolates, having a protein content of >90 wt%, are the only vegetable proteins that are widely used in imitation dairy products (1). Most isolates are derived from isoelectric precipitation, so that the soybean protein isolates have properties that are similar to those of casein. They are insoluble at thek isoelectric point, have a relatively high proportion of hydrophobic amino acid residues, and are calcium-sensitive. They differ from casein in that they are heat-denaturable and thus heat-labile. The proteins have relatively good nutritional properties and have been increasingly used as a principal source of protein. A main deterrent to use has been the beany flavor associated with the product. Use is expected to increase in part because of lower cost as compared to caseinates. There has been much research to develop improved soybean protein isolates. 

Singh, G., Kawatra, A., and Sehgal, S., Nutritional composition of selected green leafy vegetables, herbs and carrots. Plant Foods Human Nutr., 56, 359, 2001. 

The wide distribution of chlorophylls throughout the plant kingdom facilitates the scrutiny of chlorophyll-rich vegetables for human nutrition with a view to their direct consumption. However, until now, little standardized information was available in the literature regarding the absolute total chlorophyll contents and the ratios of chlorophylls a and b in raw materials. The different analytical methods of extraction and quantification and the lack of data about moisture contents (that may vary considerably among varieties and preparations) can also influence the final contents of pigments. These factors have largely contributed to the discrepancies found in similar food samples. 

Bohn, T. et al., Chlorophyll-bound magnesium in commonly consumed vegetables and fruits relevance to magnesium nutrition, J. Food Sci., 69, S347, 2004. 

Many people do not eat sufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables. Professional food and cancer associations are alarmed because of the increasing rates of nutrition-related illnesses and recommend diets rich in fruits and vegetables. Epi-... 

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