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Review
. 2015 Mar 18;5(1):126-37.
doi: 10.3390/ani5010126.

Assessing Food Preferences in Dogs and Cats: A Review of the Current Methods

Christelle Tobie  1 , Franck Péron  2 , Claire Larose  3
Affiliations
Review

Assessing Food Preferences in Dogs and Cats: A Review of the Current Methods

Christelle Tobie et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Food is a major aspect of pet care; therefore, ensuring that pet foods are not only healthful but attractive to companion animals and their owners is essential. The petfood market remains active and requires ongoing evaluation of the adaptation and efficiency of the new products. Palatability-foods' characteristics enticing animals and leading them to consumption-is therefore a key element to look at. Based on the type of information needed, different pet populations (expert or naïve) can be tested to access their preference and acceptance for different food products. Classical techniques are the one-bowl and two-bowl tests, but complementary (i.e., operant conditioning) and novel (i.e., exploratory behavior) approaches are available to gather more information on the evaluation of petfood palatability.

Keywords: acceptance; cats; cognition; dogs; emotional palatability; palatability; pet food; pet parenting; preference.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Average consumption ratio and Panelis quality test in cats, A = B, May 2014, 2 days by panel (n = 27–40 per group). None significant (NS) results expected.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison between dog panels, January 2013, 2 days by panel. Average Ratio + SE, Study conducted by Diana Pet Food.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Evaluation of diets M, W1 and W2 by a Liking test conducted on an expert panel (n = 38, Panelis) (A) consumption ratio, (B) finished bowls and (C) consumption of the diets expressed relative to a reference consumption. Differing letters identify significant differences between the products.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Four dry cat foods, differing only by the composition of the palatability enhancer applied in coating, were evaluated in sequential monadic conditions by a 40 cats expert panel (Panelis). Individual data such as time and quantities eaten were recorded automatically during a 20 h period. (A) average consumption per passage (adjusted mean +SEM); (B) average time before the first visit (adjusted mean + SEM); and (C) cumulative average consumption across time. Differing letters identify significant differences between the products (p < 0.05).
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References

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