At some point, you've probably glanced at the back of a tin of dog food and thought, what on earth are all those ingredients for, surely dog food doesn't need all that!  However, some ingredients that seem unusual or irrelevant to dog food can have important functions. One of those such ingredients is vegetable gums. We look a little closer into what vegetable gums are, and why they are a useful addition to wet food. 

Background

Vegetable gums are added in many manufacturing processes not limited to dog food. They can be found in human foods such as ice cream, and many gluten-free recipes as a binding agent. Some types of vegetable gums have uses in the textile, manufacturing and cosmetic industries. Therefore vegetable gums have been around a long time, and have been tested and researched for effectiveness and safety. We now have a good base of knowledge on the benefits and, some drawbacks to the uses of vegetable gums. 

Benefits of vegetable gums in wet food 

Vegetable gums are colloids, or large carbohydrate molecules. Colloids help hold onto water, making food more moist and increasing taste. Due to their water-holding abilities, vegetable gums improve the texture and feel of food when in the mouth. This increases enjoyment and satisfaction when eating. We know better than most that a dog's mealtime is a highlight of the day, so its important to find a food type your dog loves. 

Not only do vegetable gums help with the stability and palatability of food, but their affinity for water also increases the water content in the gastrointestinal system which improves your pet's hydration and digestion status.

Vegetable gums are an added source of fibre and have been used in medications to aid healthy bowel movements in people as well as pets. By adding vegetable gums to wet food, we can help to keep your pet's motions regular. Regular bowel motions reduce the incidence of constipation and anal gland issues, common and uncomfortable conditions in smaller breed dogs especially. 

Vegetable gums are a source of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Sounds technical right? What this means is vegetable gums provide a source of readily available energy for the cells in the colon. The colon is the last point in the digestive process to reabsorb water and electrolytes so having a readily usable energy source to fuel this process is very important. 

When making pet food, we take the raw ingredients such as meat or protein sources, and carbohydrates such as grains or potatoes and blend them to make a uniform consistency to go into the tin. However, the ingredients would not stay blended without the addition of vegetable gums and stabilisers which act to bind all the ingredients together to avoid separation. This is important when we consider food is nutritionally balanced to meet your dog's needs. 

Disadvantages of vegetable gums 

• Bloating 
• Diarrhoea 
• Gastrointestinal inflammation 
• Mutagenic properties 

One such example lies in a common pet food preservative - TSPP (Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate). Zealandia recognised this link very early on in their product design and chose to not use TSPP in their ingredients going forward, making every effort to consider the health of your pet when designing the ideal wet food. 

Some pet food companies choose to use legumes (vegetables) such as chickpeas. These diets are often branded as ‘grain free’ so they are easy to spot. Whilst a grain-free diet is very important if your dog has a grain allergy, the incidence of true grain allergies in dogs is far lower than in people (estimated around 1-3% of all allergy types are grain allergies). 

Often, pet parents will consider trying a grain-free diet to help their pets itchy skin or gastrointestinal issues, but there can be harm in doing so. Chickpeas and other legumes such as peas have been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, a terminal heart condition in dogs. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a type of heart failure, and the average survival time is less than six months. Dilated cardiomyopathy is more commonly seen in large breed dogs of any age, but smaller breed dogs have also been affected with DCM. Often pet owners are completely unaware their dog has DCM until the condition is advanced by which point palliative care is the only option available. Sadly DCM is a non-reversible condition so avoiding grain-free diets until further research is done into the links between grain-free diets and DCM is highly recommended.  

We strongly recommend discussing your concerns around allergies or gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea with a qualified veterinarian. They can advise on appropriate diagnostic investigations, diet trials or allergy testing before changing your dog's diet. 

What are the most common types of vegetable gums used in pet foods?

Agar Agar

Agar Agar gum is made from red algae commonly found on the continent of Asia and could be considered the ultimate all-rounder of vegetable gums. Almost all the positive properties of vegetable gums are found in agar agar. It is an excellent thickener and stops the disintegration of food by acting as a binding agent. Agar Agar water-holding properties allow pets to feel fuller for longer and assists in a smooth digestive process. Agar agar is heavily used in vegetarian and vegan dishes as a gelatin replacement. 

Cassia

This gum comes from the cassia seeds of the Cassia plant. This is a heat-loving plant so grows well in tropical areas. Cassia gum is an excellent gelling agent and can be used with other vegetable gums in the same wet food. Cassia gum has strengthening, thickening, stabilising and texture-improving abilities so is a logical choice for pet food. However there have been some concerns around the safety of the cassia gums, and recent studies could not conclusively say that this ingredient is safe for use in pet food. There are some worries that cassia gum may have mutagenic properties (cause changes in DNA, which can lead to cancer). Zealandia chooses not to use cassia gum in their recipes and focuses on gums such as guar and agar agar that do not have the same questionable concerns linked to their use. If choosing a diet with cassia gum, make sure that it is an isopropanol-purified semi-refined cassia and not just semi-refined cassia gum. 

Guar

Guar gum, (also known as guaran) derives from the guar seeds of the cyamposis tetragonoloba legume. The seeds are processed, ground and added to pet food for their ability to thicken wet food. Guar gum is a good source of natural fibre and so is a popular choice for pet food manufacturing. 

Carrageenan

Carrageenan gum is formed from red seaweed of the Rhodophyceae family. It is colloquially known as Irish moss. Its main properties are thickening and stabilising food. This gum is registered as ‘generally considered safe’, but has some links to gastrointestinal irritation or inflammation and digestive upsets. Zealandia do not use carrageenan in their foods. 

Summary

Vegetable gums serve an important function in pet food. They promote structure and stability in wet dog food, hold water to increase taste and texture, and are a source of fibre. Take some time to consider the individual ingredients in dog food and don't be afraid to do your research or ask your veterinarian if they consider the ingredient list to be safe. Scientific investigations are always challenging our views on what is and isn't considered a safe ingredient (for example chickpeas in grain-free diets)  and your veterinarian will be the best source of knowledge on toxic properties of foodstuffs to pets. Thankfully most vegetable gums are considered safe for pets and people with their long history across many industries leaning towards continuing use in the future.