5. Conclusion
Steam pelleting of a dry dog food does not cause a significant loss of reactive lysine and change of absorbance values,indicating that the effect of steam pelleting on the nutritive value of pelleted dog foods is low. Analyzing the unprocessedingredient mix suggests that the choice of the ingredients used in the ingredient mix, rather than the pelleting processhas an influence on the latter parameters. However, steam pelleting does increase early and advanced MRP content. Theformation of MRPs can be addressed to an increase in temperature and die hole length during the steam pelleting process.The discrepancy in the results between the analyses in the processed samples indicate that analyzing reactive lysine andabsorbance values are not sufficiently accurate to predict a change in MRPs during processing. Whether the formed MRPcontents during steam pelleting are physiologically relevant in dogs depends on the bioavailability of these components,which warrants further study.