By Dan Lemke
Soybean meal has been a staple ingredient in livestock diets for decades. Beyond feeding pigs and poultry, soybean meal, soy hulls, and other soy products could find new opportunities, providing Bowser and Fido the nutrition they need.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) spearheaded a study of the potential for including soy in dog food and dog treats. The assessment was supported by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (MSR&PC).
In recent years, many dog food brands have promoted “no grains, no corn, no wheat, no soy,” which effectively stigmatized those ingredients and pushed pet owners away from the omnivore diet from which dogs can benefit. Many premium pet food brands consider grains to be cheap filler ingredients with low nutritional value.
Because many pet owners view their animals as family members, some want to feed them human-grade food, viewing their dogs’ dietary needs similarly to human needs. As a result, meat-only dog foods have proliferated. Given the popularity of plant proteins in human foods, soy may also have new opportunities in pet food.
“There’s a lot of potential in different areas of soy that fit great for dog foods,” says Ben Swanson, AURI food and nutrition scientist and principal investigator for this study. “Soy is high in protein and it has oil and fiber. There’s a lot of potential to use soy in a number of areas within the pet food category.”
Changing Dynamics
AURI’s assessment showed that post-pandemic, premium meatbased dog food sales slowed. Higher costs due to inflation are causing some pet owners to pull back on premium meat-based dog foods.
“Swings are happening now where the cost of protein may be getting out of reach for some people, and everyone is more aware of their pocketbooks,” says Mike Youngerberg, senior director of product development and commercialization for the MSR&PC. “It appears that people are looking for products that are available that don’t cost as much but still provide the same nutrition.”
The market assessment showed that dog food manufacturers presently see soy products as a source of protein that can balance nutritional formulations. Soy protein is highly digestible and is used extensively in premium dog foods formulated for sensitive stomachs or dogs with digestive issues. Soy is also used in lower cost dog foods.
“There is research that shows that dogs can live off of plant-based diets provided that they’re appropriately formulated,” Swanson says. “Soybean definitely has a place in these plant diets, mirroring some of the great benefits that meat products currently have in the market.”
Specialty Products
In addition to ingredients in dog food, soybean meal could be used to create healthier, high-protein special occasion treats. Soybean meal can be an alternative for chicken, beef, lamb, and feather meal.
The market study showed that pet owners aren’t overly price sensitive for special occasion treats. Healthy, high protein baked treats may be an opportunity area for soy products.
Soy oils with flavorings could be positioned to coat kibble, potentially extending the shelf life of dry dog food longer than products coated with beef or chicken fat. Soy oils are also rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and could be positioned as an anti-inflammatory ingredient benefiting skin, hair, and joint health. Soy oil could also potentially replace chicken fat, beef tallow, and fish oil.
“There could be some expanded opportunities in several areas, including using the fiber and the oil,” Swanson says. “Rendered poultry fat is often used to coat dry kibble for energy, flavor, or nutrients, and due to supply issues resulting from various sources, I see an opportunity for soybean oil in formulations that rely heavily on rendered poultry fat.”
Soy hulls could be positioned as a fiber ingredient that produces less abdominal gas in pets. Hulls contain additional protein and sugars that could function as a prebiotic to stimulate canine gut flora. Rich in magnesium, soybean meal could also be used as a calming agent in supplements.
“There’s continuing interest in the gut microbiome and gut health in the pet industry that mirrors the human side of things,” Swanson explains. “Soy hulls could have an opportunity as a prebiotic or a supplement to fortify formulations or as a standalone ingredient.”
Education Needed
Soybean meal used to command a larger portion of the pet food ingredient market, but changing dynamics and the push toward more meat diets took its toll. Mike Reiber, CEO of Axiom Marketing Communications, Inc., who conducted the market assessment, believes there’s an opportunity for soy to take back a bigger share of the pet food market.
“Soy is an ingredient that the dog food formulators need to learn,” Reiber says. There’s been a lot of technological changes that have happened in the last five to seven years that make soy a better
ingredient. We need to re-educate them about why soy is an appropriate ingredient for dog food formulations.”
Reiber says pet food formulators likely don’t recognize that the products now available from soy processing could help them make healthy and potentially lower cost pet food products.
“Most of these formulators aren’t thinking about hulls, and hulls are also a byproduct of the crushing process which is creating all of the soy meal that is on the market and lowering overall prices,”
Reiber says. “Soy hulls have amino acids and soy hulls have fiber. They have a lot of benefits to a dog’s diet. Very few, if any, manufacturers are using soy as a protein source for treats. This whole issue of healthy treats is going to be on the horizon.”
Soy Opportunity
The dynamics of the region’s soybean processing industry have changed dramatically in recent years as soybean crushing capacity has grown to produce oil for low-carbon fuels like renewable diesel. For years, soybean meal was the focus and oil was a byproduct. Now, abundant soybean meal supplies have industry leaders examining opportunities to utilize and valorize the meal and hull supplies at their highest value.
Meal is 80% of the bean,” Youngerberg says. “We’re trying to make sure that we can utilize that additional capacity for whatever purpose there is, and it appears there’s an opportunity for selling meal into the pet food and treat market.”
Before soybean plants and industry proponents could move products into the market, they needed to know the terrain, which the pet food assessment provided.
“First you need that overall view of the marketplace and what are the dynamics and variables that are changing that view,” Youngerberg explains. “It’s like any other company doing market research.”
Feed for pigs and poultry will likely remain the top feed use for soybean meal but pet food applications could help take a bite out of the growing meal supplies.
“Minnesota is consistently near the top in the country in soybean production and we have the soybean processing facilities to produce a lot of these ingredients and pet food manufacturing to produce market ready products,” Swanson says. “Everyone from the smaller producers to the larger businesses could utilize crops grown here in Minnesota for the pet food and treat market.”
