Corn in Pet Foods By Juliana Leamen, Nutram Pet Food Nutritionist

Can cats and dogs digest corn?

Yes! Corn is a digestible ingredient, vastly used in pet foods, and a great source of several

nutrients for cats and dogs. Digestion begins in the mouth as saliva is produced during

mastication. Cats and dogs lack the salivary enzyme (alpha-amylase) that would initiate the

process of starch digestion in the mouth1, which leads many people to believe pets cannot digest

corn, a rich source of starch. The truth is that starch digestion in cats and dogs occur in the small

intestine with the help of pancreatic enzymes. Studies show that starch digestibility of extruded

corn diets, or diets cooked at high temperatures, is greater than 90%2. Scientists also looked at the differences between

cats and dogs in regards to their ability to digest starch and concluded that even though cats are carnivores, they can

efficiently digest starch in extruded diets3.

Why has corn received such bad publicity?

Corn has received bad publicity as a “filler” ingredient and this misconception can be

widely found in online blogs and pet food reviews. Traditionally, most pet food diets

were corn-based and the need for innovations may have contributed to the unfair

negative reputation of corn. Corn-free diets became a simple innovation designed to set

products aside from the competition, a mere marketing move not based on valid

science.

It is possible that some pets will develop allergy to corn due to prolonged exposure, which is also true for ANY other

ingredient vastly used in pet diets. Therefore, ingredients used in corn-free diets can also result in allergic reactions. If a

pet is allergic to corn, we recommend Nutram Allergy Care as a corn-free alternative.

Why is Corn a good ingredient?

Corn is an excellent ingredient vastly used in pet

foods due to its nutritional profile. Corn is a good

source of Omega-6 Fatty acids, which promotes a

healthy skin and shiny coat; minerals; vitamins,

including Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Niacin; and starch.

Starch is a great source of energy and helps

maintain the shape of the kibble as it gets

gelatinized during extrusion. Starch gelatinization

changes the structure of the starch molecule,

making it more available for digestive enzymes.

Reference: 1 NRC – Nutrient requirements for Dogs and Cats, 2006;

2 Murray et al, J. Anim. Sci. 1999. 77:2180–2186;

3de-Oliveira

et al, J. Anim. Sci. 2008. 86:2237–2246

Nutrition Value of Corn*

Protein 7% Moisture 13%

Ash 1% Fat 3.3%

Fibre 1.5% Omega-3 0.04%

Starch 61% Omega-6 1.80%

*All nutrients presented in this table are actual values – analysis of our corn samples

were completed by a third party lab (Maxxam, Canada)