Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation

Čaba Silađi; Srđan Stefanović; Danka Spirić; Radivoj Petronijević; Ognjen Krnjaja; Nikola Borjan; Milenko Babić

doi:10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.41

Čaba Silađi Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1933-3849
Srđan Stefanović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8011-5654
Danka Spirić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6008-7625
Radivoj Petronijević Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3901-3824
Ognjen Krnjaja Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2242-0457
Nikola Borjan Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-3755
Milenko Babić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6467-6757

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.41

Keywords: amino acids, pet food, dog nutrition, cat nutrition, protein composition, principal component analysis

Abstract

This study evaluated the amino acid composition of commercial dog and cat foods and examined differences between them. Fifteen samples were analyzed using ion-exchange chromatography, followed by principal component analysis (PCA). Cat food contained higher levels of most amino acids, especially taurine, and had greater total amino acid (protein) content than dog food. PCA showed clear separation between the two groups, driven mainly by taurine and overall amino acid concentration. Glycine, histidine, and methionine contributed modestly to group differentiation. Dog food samples had more uniform amino acid profiles, while cat food samples showed greater variability, particularly in glycine, glutamic acid, leucine, and alanine content. These findings reflect species-specific nutritional requirements and indicate that cat foods, due to stricter amino acid demands, show higher variability between formulations, while dog foods are formulated in a more uniform way. Further research with a larger and more diverse sample set is needed to confirm these results and assess broader formulation trends in the pet food industry.