Pea concentrates are popular ingredients used in Wet Petfood recipes. Seven wet commercial products, formulated for dogs, were randomly sampled at different US Petfood stores in May 2022. Six of out of seven contained either Pea Protein or Pea Hull Fiber, or both. Pea protein and Pea Hull Fiber were listed among the first six ingredients in the product declaration. The generic declaration of “Pea Protein” was not specific and could represent the use of either Pea Protein isolate (PPI) or Pea Protein Concentrate (PPC). At any case, Pea Protein was the selected ingredient used for protein extension purposes and Pea Hull Fiber was chosen as a functional ingredient due to its great water and oil binding capacity. The first ingredient in the declaration was either chicken or chicken by products, or fish.

The overall appearance of the products was a smooth, blended mix of ingredients with a soft, sponge-like consistency, resembling a “Paté emulsion”. Texture analyses taken at different sampling points revealed significant differences in firmness among products, being product 4 and 5 the ones with highest firmness. A simple preference test with seven dogs was run as a home trial.