Page 169 - Raw Diet References Book 2019

Proposed Revisions Edited per Comments for 2014 Official Publication 2

the RA takes into consideration the bioavailability of the nutrient. Thus, the Canine and
Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittees of 2007 primarily used the RA in the 2006
Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats in evaluating whether revision was needed to
one or more of the minimum recommended concentrations in the profiles. Values for
specific nutrient concentrations were added or modified where indicated and supported
by recent scientific publications, practical experience, or unpublished data.
The AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles have been criticized and faulted
for not explicitly indicating the apparent nutrient digestibility, sometimes called
nutrient availability or bioavailability, required to make the listed concentrations
adequate for meeting the animal’s daily requirements. When a minimum requirement
has been established for a particular nutrient, the expected apparent digestibility to
meet the minimum requirement for that nutrient at the recommended concentration
listed in an AAFCO Nutrient Profile can be calculated using the formula:

((minimum requirement) x (its apparent digestibility in the diet(s) used to establish the
minimum requirement) / (recommended concentration in the AAFCO Profile)) x 100.

In the above formula, the minimum requirement is expressed in the same units as
in the AAFCO Nutrient Profile and digestibility is expressed in decimal equivalents.
As an example, the NRC lists the minimum crude protein requirement for puppies to
be met by formulas containing 18% crude protein on a dry matter basis with the
digestibility of the protein sources estimated to be near 100%. The 2014 AAFCO Dog
Food Nutrient Profile for Growth and Reproduction recommends the minimum crude
protein concentration of dry matter to be 22.5%. Therefore, the expected apparent
digestibility for crude protein in a diet formulated to meet the AAFCO Dog Food
Nutrient Profile for Growth and Reproduction is at least 80% [(18 x (1.00)/22.5) x
100].
For nutrients known to be essential, but that lack sufficient data to establish a
minimum requirement, the typical digestibility for the nutrient in ingredients and food
matrices similar to those used to establish the apparent amount to fulfill the animal’s
need for the nutrient should be ensured. The 2006 Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and
Cats discusses average or typical apparent digestibility for such nutrients when
explaining how a RA was set. As an example, for adult dogs there is no established
minimum requirement for iron, although iron is considered essential for adult dogs. In
setting the RA of 30 mg/kg in dietary dry matter for adult maintenance, the NRC
subcommittee considered the apparent digestibility of iron to be 20%. However, the
explanatory text in the publication notes that measured apparent digestibility of iron in
the scientific literature has ranged from close to 100% to less than 10%, and is affected
by numerous factors such as the specific source of iron, the concentration of other
specific minerals or other ingredients in the diet, as well as the iron status of the
animal.
The specific example for iron can be generalized to most essential minerals, and
demonstrates the impossibility that any list of concentrations can invariably ensure that
all nutrient requirements are fulfilled in all diet formulas without additional
considerations. As stated for the previous editions of the AAFCO Dog and Cat Food
Nutrient Profiles, formulating a product according to the Profiles is only one part of a
nutritionally sound, scientific development that must consider all other aspects of the
product. The fact that a dog or cat food is formulated to meet a specific AAFCO
Profile should not deter or discourage the manufacturer from conducting appropriate
feeding trials to further confirm and ensure the diet is nutritionally adequate for its
intended use.