The Use of Sorghum and Corn as Alternatives to Rice in Dog Foods

Abstract

Rice is commonly used in premium Australian dog foods because of its highly digestible and hypoallergenic nature. Sorghum and corn are grains available in Australia that are considerably less expensive than rice. Sorghum and corn are known to contain starch that is less digestible in the intestinal tract because of a strong starch–protein matrix; however, the extrusion process involved in the manufacture of dog food is likely to gelatinize the starch and make it more digestible. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fecal nutrient digestibility of diets containing rice, sorghum and corn, and to determine the effect these diets had on fecal quality through evaluation of fecal score.