You often come across the terms "cold-pressed" and "extruded" when dealing with dog food. Here's what the differences are.
|
About the author: Lea Reich
Lea is the founder of Alpenwuff and an expert in dog nutrition. Drawing on her extensive scientific training, the development of several Alpenwuff food varieties, and years of experience working with dogs, she summarizes current topics and shares her knowledge in our Alpenwuff blog.
What is the difference between cold-pressed dog food and extruded dog food?
Extruded or cold-pressed dog food are two different production methods for dry dog food, which differ primarily in terms of the production process, consistency, natural nutrient content and shelf life.
1. Manufacturing process
Most commercially available dog food is extruded food. During this manufacturing process, all ingredients are first heated to 130°C to 200°C in an extruder. Under pressure and steam, the food is forced through a nozzle and divided into pellets. The pellets are then dried in a drum. Upon exiting the extruder, the food pellets initially experience a steep temperature gradient, often creating small air pockets in the pellets. These air pockets later cause the extruded dog food to swell upon contact with water, among other things. Finally, a coating is sprayed onto the pellets to remove vitamins and fatty acids, as well as artificial additives destroyed by the high temperatures, resulting in the greasy, textured surface of extruded dog food.
An alternative method of producing dry food is cold pressing . During cold pressing, meat and carbohydrates are first pre-processed separately at 80-100°C. The meat is heated to kill germs, and carbohydrate sources such as potatoes or peas are pre-cooked to make them digestible for the dog. After all, dogs can't digest raw potatoes either. The individual ingredients are then dried and ground. All the ingredients are then gently mixed with a little water and fed into the press. At temperatures of up to 60°C , the finished mixture is finally pressed through a die under high pressure, which compresses the pellets. Vitamin and fat suppliers are thus consistently exposed to gentle temperatures below 60°C - similar to steaming vegetables.
2. Natural nutrient content
In extruded dog food, heat-sensitive vitamins and fat structures are exposed to temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius. This results in the natural vitamins and fat structures being attacked and destroyed to a significantly greater extent, and therefore must be artificially sprayed on in the "coating" at the end of the manufacturing process.
Cold-pressed feed, on the other hand, contains more natural nutrients due to the significantly lower temperatures used in the production process. Since heat-sensitive vitamins and fat structures from oils and plant ingredients are not exposed to such high temperatures, cold-pressing is considered more natural.
3. Consistency
Cold-pressed food initially has a harder texture and therefore requires more chewing, which can promote dental health . However, when cold-pressed food comes into contact with water, it quickly breaks down into its individual flours.
Extruded food, on the other hand, has a softer base consistency, is fattier , and has more texture on its surface. Upon contact with water, extruded dog food swells considerably due to air pockets, carbohydrates, and other factors. Therefore, cold-pressed food is often described as more digestible. However, there are also dogs that cannot tolerate the rapid accessibility of nutrients in cold-pressed food. This can manifest itself in regular vomiting after eating, provided the cold-pressed food has been tried for at least two weeks .
4. Durability
Due to the gentle manufacturing process and the usual absence of artificial preservatives, cold-pressed food usually has a shorter shelf life than extruded food.
💡 Conclusion: cold-pressed or extruded?
The two types of dog food differ in four key aspects: shelf life, consistency, nutrient content , and manufacturing process. The big question of whether you should feed your furry friend cold-pressed or extruded dog food depends on your dog's individual characteristics and food conversion rate and cannot be answered in a general way. If you would like to learn more about cold-pressed dog food, please browse our guide or simply order our sample pack!
"Food without compromise" - We want more dogs to be fed healthy food!
What does "open declaration" mean?
The " open declaration " in the context of dog food refers to the transparent disclosure of information about the composition of the food in terms of the individual ingredients and their processed quantities.
"Open declaration" means that we transparently list all ingredients and their exact percentages in Alpenwuff food. So you always know exactly what's in every bag of Alpenwuff.
An open declaration serves to give pet owners clear information about the food so they can make informed decisions about their daily diet. By reading the declaration, pet owners can determine which main ingredients are contained in the food. This helps to rule out allergens, evaluate the quality of a food, and develop an understanding of a dog's behavior. For example, if a food consists primarily of corn, this is often reflected in its behavior. An open declaration therefore makes it possible to ensure that the food meets the dog's individual needs and promotes its health. In addition, the declaration ideally includes information about the manufacturer and the manufacturing process, which creates confidence in the product quality and traceability of the raw materials.
Why should cold-pressed food be better?
The comparison between extruded and cold-pressed dog food can be shown using several aspects that illustrate the advantages of cold-pressed food:
- Gentle manufacturing process: Cold-pressed feed is produced at lower temperatures (60°C). In contrast, extruded feed is produced at high temperatures (up to 200°C), resulting in a greater loss of natural nutrients.
- Better nutrient preservation: The gentle manufacturing process helps to better preserve the natural nutrients of the ingredients, similar to steam cooking. Due to the gentle temperatures, natural vitamins and nutrients in cold-pressed food remain largely intact.
- Better digestibility: Cold-pressed food breaks down quickly into its components in the dog's stomach and doesn't bloat when exposed to liquid like most extruded food briquettes. This means the nutrients are quickly accessible and digestible. The easier digestibility of cold-pressed food can help dogs experience fewer digestive problems. This leads to less bloating and an overall happier dog.
To what temperature is the food heated?
Our feed is gently cold-pressed at low temperatures to preserve nutrients. The cold press reaches a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C.
Leave a comment
All comments are moderated before being published.
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.