Cats are notoriously picky eaters. But what if we could design their food around flavors that they are scientifically proven to enjoy? Researchers publish in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry used a panel of feline taste testers to identify favorite flavorings in a range of chicken liver-based sprays. The cats particularly enjoyed the sprays that contained more free amino acids, giving their kibble a more savory and fatty taste.
Cats have a keener sense of smell than humans, and the smell of their food plays a big role in whether they eat or reject what their owner serves for dinner. Feline taste buds are also more sensitive to umami (savory) flavors than humans, and they cannot taste sweets. Although meat-flavored attractant sprays can help improve the odor and taste of dry kibble, the exact correlation between volatile flavor compounds and palatability is not well understood. Furthermore, previous studies in this area lack input from a very important focus group: real cats! Therefore, Shiqing Song and colleagues relied on the expertise of a panel of ten hungry adult cats to evaluate a range of food sprays containing different volatile flavorings.
To prepare their fragrant sprays, the researchers homogenized and heat-treated chicken livers. They then broke down the proteins in the liver paste to varying degrees using enzymes to produce four different food attractants. Song’s team identified more than 50 different flavor compounds in the sprays, ranging from tropical and floral to sweaty and rubbery. For the taste test, the researchers coated commercially available cat food with chicken fat and then sprayed it with one of four chicken liver attractants. The samples were presented to the cats alongside a control food treated with another commercially available attractant. The team observed which bowl the cats chose first and how much food they ate during the day.
The researchers found that most cats preferred and ate more food sprayed with their attractants, especially the sprays with proteins that were further broken down by the enzymes and contained more free amino acids. These compounds are important flavor precursors that can undergo the Maillard reaction, which likely produced many different aroma-enhancing compounds during the heat treatment step. The favored foods also contained more mushroom and fatty flavors, while the less consumed foods contained sour and sweet tasting compounds, possibly because fewer Maillard reactions occurred. This work can help inform the development of future cat food formulations and increase your chances of choosing a kibble that your picky cat will enjoy.
The authors acknowledge funding from the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai and thank their feline volunteers for their participation.
