What is HPP? What sorts of benefits or drawbacks could ferrets receive from HPP foods? Read on to learn more! High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) is a non-thermal, cold pasteurization process used by select pet food companies to dismantle bacteria numbers, rendering the food "sterile." This occurs under extreme water pressure, higher than what's found in the deepest parts of the ocean. The Benefits of HPP First, let's go over the potential benefits of feeding foods processed via HPP. Key word: potential. Please do not take these as fact.
Keep in mind, while HPP raw pet foods are considered "sterile" this does not mean they will be free of pathogens. All pet foods are at risk of storage and handling issues before it hits your ferrets' bellies (as well as if you aren't following safe handling instructions yourself, same with unadulterated raw food). According to the sources I found, it's quite common for companies to open the package after processing and regrind product to make it look better, leaving an open opportunity for pathogenic bacteria to proliferate. This go around, there's no remaining competing microorganisms to fight against them. The Drawbacks of HPP According to this article by Answers Pet Food, HPP "disassociates myosin, actin, albumin, myoglobin and causes coagulation, aggregation, or gelation of sarcoplasmic proteins and myofibrils." It also tends to accelerate the oxidation process of muscle proteins, denaturing essential amino acids required by your ferrets to survive and thrive. This all makes sense due to the lackluster appearance of HPP pet food, which is vastly different to that of fresh raw foods in my experience. Many companies that use HPP like to boast no differences in quality but I think the final product speaks for itself. Not very fresh... Potential drawbacks of HPP:
My Thoughts on HPP Many pet parents see this process being used more frequently and begin to question the safety of raw diets, which is very unfortunate. It does make me wonder...are some companies choosing HPP so they can get away with including poorly sourced ingredients? When you think about it, 4-D meat and other less than desirable protein sources are used in many pet foods, from kibble to raw. I believe that HPP could be used by companies as an extra step to kill pathogens, and keep costs relatively lower instead of sourcing quality meats, where extra kill steps aren't really required. Truth is- the majority of bacteria is amazing! In fact, without them, we wouldn't be alive.
What Pet Foods Fed to Ferrets Undergo HPP? Whether you choose to feed your ferrets HPP pet food or raw food is entirely your prerogative. I personally wouldn't, but I respect those who do. In case you're unsure what popular foods undergo this process, here is a brief list: #1 Stella and Chewy's One of the most popular pet foods fed to ferrets; Stella and Chewy's does use HPP on their food. I'm not a fan of this brand or their formulas, but that may be a topic for another day. #2 Vital Essentials This one honestly surprised me, they have been against HPP in the past according to this letter to consumers. #3 Northwest Naturals Northwest Naturals is not one I see fed to ferrets too often, but they do have a raw line for cats, and could be fed to ferrets just like Stella and Chewy's. #4 Instinct Frozen/FDR I've personally used these raw bites in the past to help transition stubborn ferrets to raw. I wouldn't recommend this food be fed as a staple diet as it's not very complete. They do use HPP. #5 Primal
Primal uses HPP on their poultry products. Keep in mind, much of these products are not considered complete for ferrets. Like I said, totally up to you if you want to opt for this feeding option. Just make sure you do your research on the importance of your ferrets' microbiome (healthy gut=healthy ferrets!), and weigh your personal pros and cons. Additional Readings https://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/high-pressure-processing-the-future-of-raw-cat-food https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/high-pressure-processing-raw-dog-food/ https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/high-pressure-processing-and-raw-pet-food-diets-what-you-need-know
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