Real Science Exchange - Companion Animal
Welcome to our Balchem Pet Food series—the podcast that opens up the bag and looks at what really goes into better pet nutrition. In this introductory video, you’ll meet the experts and the science behind Balchem’s ingredient solutions, and hear how they’re used by formulators to support digestion, skin & coat, energy metabolism, and overall well being. Subscribe to follow along as we unpack the latest research, practical formulation tips, and stories from across the pet food industry.
Episodes
From Meat Judging to Meat Science
Dr. Hasty talks about growing up in Texas, taking part in FFA and studying at Clarendon College and Texas Tech University. He explains how livestock and meat judging and agricultural economics shaped his career. (00:00 – 02:29)
USDA, Fresno State and a PhD at Colorado State
He describes his time with USDA in Pennsylvania and his move to Fresno State University. He then earned a...
Lara Moody, Executive Director of the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), opens the discussion by outlining IFeeder’s mission to advance understanding and trust in a sustainable animal feed and pet food supply chain. Founded in 2009, IFEEDER has steadily expanded its scope of work, recently releasing key industry resources including feed ingredient consumption reports, a comprehensive pet food ingredient repo...
Host Scott Sorrell, Director of Global Marketing at Balchem, is joined by Delaney New (Kansas State University), Kanyon Alexander (Kansas State University), and Dr. Lonnie Hobbs Jr. (Kansas State University). Together, they discuss student-led research examining sustainability from both veterinarian and consumer perspectives and the implications for the pet food industry.
The episode begins with introductions to the Student Showca...
The conversation begins at 04:30 – The Evolution of Yeast in Animal Nutrition, exploring how yeast supplements have evolved and why their applications continue to expand across animal nutrition. At 09:27 – Yeast Functionality and the Gut Microbiome, the discussion turns to the relationship between yeast fractions and the gut microbiome, including the importance of understanding functionality when incorporating yeast int...
The conversation opens with Dr. Kosmal's unconventional path into feline science, tracing back to her PhD research on eastern cottontail rabbits in wildlife rehabilitation. She explains how those early studies in rabbit behavior and welfare still shape the way she designs and interprets her current feline hydration research today (1:09 – 6:01).
From there, the discussion turns to why cat hydration remains such a persistently...
The episode opens with introductions to the panel and an overview of the iFeeder report, setting the stage for a conversation focused on supply chain stability and its importance to the animal feed and food industries. (00:00 – 01:08)
The discussion begins with the mission of iFeeder and the origin of the resiliency challenge, highlighting how the organization was tasked with providing fact-based data to quantify risks tied ...
To begin, Dr. D. Ocker shares her professional journey through academia, pet food research and development, human food innovation, and ingredient technology. Throughout her career, she has remained passionate about identifying opportunities to transform underutilized food resources into valuable nutritional ingredients.
Next, Trent Small discusses his role at International Ingredients Corporation and explains how IIC evaluates emer...
The episode begins with an overview of Dr. Bielke's research program at North Carolina State University. Her work focuses on enteric disease challenges, turkey health, immune responses to vaccination, and strategies that improve bird resilience while minimizing production impacts associated with live vaccination programs. Furthermore, the discussion highlights the growing importance of understanding how vaccination affects not only...
The episode begins with Dr. Shoveller sharing her academic journey from animal biology and comparative nutrition. She became a leader in companion animal nutrition research. She discusses her efforts to build one of North America's premier companion animal nutrition programs at the University of Guelph. Additionally, she introduces a new pet food-focused educational initiative. This initiative is designed to prepare the next genera...
The discussion then examines flexible feeding practices and why pet owners are supplementing traditional diets with wet foods, fresh products, human foods, freeze-dried ingredients, and toppers. Survey results reveal that pet owners primarily seek greater variety, enhanced nutrition, improved wellness, and increased meal enjoyment for their pets. (02:54 – 05:22)
The conversation also explores potential challenges associ...
The episode opens with introductions and background on Mississippi State’s poultry nutrition program, including Dr. Adakari’s research focus and Charis Waters’ work on layer nutrition and amino acid optimization. (00:00 – 05:15)
The discussion then shifts into Charis’s research on branched-chain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—and their role in laying hen performance, part...
The episode opens with an introduction to the panel and a high-level overview of AI’s rapid acceleration across food and feed systems, setting the stage for a discussion on separating real-world applications from hype. (00:00 – 00:50)
The panelists then outline current AI trends, noting that while adoption in the pet food industry has lagged slightly, companies are increasingly leveraging AI for customer insights,...
The episode opens with introductions to the Pet Food Institute team and an overview of the regulatory challenges facing the industry today, including shifting expectations for manufacturers and innovators. (00:00 – 01:02)
The conversation then introduces the role of the Pet Food Institute (PFI) and highlights leadership transitions, as well as the organization’s long-standing focus on food safety, regulatory advocacy, a...
The guests introduce themselves and talk a little about their research. Amelia is a MS student, and Katelyn and Larissa are working on their PhDs in the pet food program at K-State. Katelyn is researching raw versus thermally processed diets, looking at nutrient losses, oxidative stress, inflammation and immunomarkers. Larissa had two main projects: one to evaluate dry bakery products as an ingredient in extruded dog diets, and the...
Guests introduce themselves and their backgrounds. Dr. Pezzali’s nutritional priorities for cats are urinary health and obesity. William notes some of the important logistical considerations for APHIS export approval. (4:09)
Dr. Pezzali estimates that about 60% of cats in the US are obese. She notes her group is researching nutraceuticals that may increase energy expenditure in cats to help combat cat obesity. Dr. Altom...
Guests introduce themselves and their backgrounds (1:08)
Rachelle gives an overview of what industry partnerships can look like at K-State. Dr. Schuh notes that one of the best ways to understand partner needs is for content experts from both entities to be talking to one another. She highlights some of the one-stop-shop resources that a land-grant university can provide. (8:30)
Leah and Melissa give their perspectives as industry ...
Leah gave a presentation titled “From Concept to Bowl: Translating Vision Into a Successful New Product to Market.” She describes the process at her company as a complex, highly collaborative technical process that requires cross-functional collaboration. Simmons uses a stage-gate new product development process, allowing all teams to co-own the initiative. (5:45)
The panel talks through different stages of taking...
Allison gives some examples of how AI can be used in production facilities. Sensors on equipment, production schedules, product formulation, supply chain, logistics, and marketing were all mentioned. (11:24)
The panel talks about challenges for small and mid-size companies when it comes to deploying AI. Jay discusses how a company can go about adding AI to its production system. (16:45)
Debbie details results from an online s...
Dr. Larson gave a presentation about the two new pathways for ingredient approval. She gives an overview of the background of ingredient approval, including the recent dissolution of the MOU between FDA and AAFCO, which had been a partnership for the old AAFCO ingredient definition process. The two new pathways are AFIC (Animal Feed Ingredient Consultation) and SRIS (Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions). AFIC is a temporary...
Dr. Shanoyan gave a presentation titled “Wishlist to Shopping Cart: Understanding Pet Food Buyers’ Preferences and Purchasing Behaviors.” Consumers were asked what they would like to buy (wishlist) and what they’re currently buying (shopping cart), and attributes were matched between the two sets of answers. What are the differences between someone whose wishlist and shopping cart match perfectly and someone...
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