Volume: 56 Issue: 3
Year: 2025, Page: 464-468, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2025.56.3.464-468
Received: April 5, 2025 Accepted: June 13, 2025 Published: Sept. 30, 2025
The growing demand for high-quality and sustainable pet treats has driven the exploration of alternative protein sources, including poultry by-products. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional, physicochemical and palatability attributes of pet treats formulated with poultry shank powder at two inclusion levels: 35 per cent (T1) and 40 per cent (T2). The base formulation comprised cereal flour, chicken, coconut oil, egg and additives, with poultry shank powder incorporated in addition to this standard composition. The ingredients were homogenised, moulded using specialised moulds, steam-cooked and dried under optimised conditions prior to packaging. Physicochemical analyses revealed that increasing the shank powder concentration significantly (p<0.01) elevated crude protein levels (T1: 36.35 per cent, T2: 37.49 per cent) compared to the control (C: 23.96 per cent). The ash content also increased (T1: 10.82 per cent,
T2: 11.98 per cent), indicative of a higher mineral composition. Conversely, nitrogen-free extract (NFE) content was reduced and significantly (p<0.01) differed in T1 (18.64 per cent) and T2 (17.88 per cent) compared to C (34.64 per cent), reflecting a lower carbohydrate proportion. Moisture content declined with increasing shank powder levels, contributing to improved shelf stability. Water activity (aw) values ranged from 0.86 to 0.88, indicating microbial stability. Palatability trials, conducted on ten dogs with repeated feeding sessions across four occasions, assessed eating behaviour, approach, and interest. The results indicated that T2 was the most favourably accepted, likely due to its enhanced meat-derived flavour profile. These findings scores up the poultry shank powder as a protein-rich, sustainable ingredient suitable for pet treat formulations, offering both nutritional and sensory benefits.
Keywords: Pet treat, shank powder, palatability
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© 2025 Harikrishnan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 56 (3):464-468