During an insightful discussion with Dr. Chandrasekar KV, General Manager of Asia Pacific region for Kemin Nutrisurance which is Pet Food ingredients and Rendering Division of Kemin, we explored Kemin’s profound expertise in oxidation control, groundbreaking innovations in food safety to extend the shelf life of pet food, their specialization in enhancing palatability, and the company’s steadfast commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Can you tell us more about Kemin’s expertise in oxidation control and how it benefits pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers?
Kemin can provide you with a broad range of proven solutions for utilizing natural or synthetic antioxidants throughout the entire pet food manufacturing process. That’s why leading pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and renderers turn to Kemin for antioxidant shelf-life stabilization solutions.
Successful formulation with antioxidants in pet foods demands a thorough understanding of how processing impacts the stability of a finished pet food diet. Selecting the right antioxidant at the right dosage level is key to achieving desired shelf-life targets. Fats in pet food and the rendering meal/ fat are susceptible to oxidation (rancidity). Application of the right antioxidant with the right dosage and right point of application will help to extend the shelf life where the antioxidant will sacrifice itself in place of fat in the product (ie) pet food, rendering meal or rendered fat.
What are some of the natural and synthetic antioxidant solutions offered by Kemin for extending the shelf life of pet food and rendered products?
For over 25 years, Kemin has led the way in developing natural antioxidant formulations that satisfy consumer expectations. We are proud to offer an extensive range of product formulations using mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract for a wide range of applications. Our Natural antioxidants brands include natural antioxidants like NATUROX®, VERDILOX™, and PARAMEGA™,
There are several synthetic antioxidant options available for the control of free radical chain reactions in pet food and rendering manufacturing processes that the effectiveness of these antioxidants is determined by the manufacturing process and by the kind of ingredients that are being stabilized. You can be confident that our diverse portfolio of synthetic antioxidant formulations provides maximum protection from oxidation. Our synthetic antioxidant brands include PET-OX®, TERMOX®, RENDOX®, and Hybrid antioxidant- HYBRILOX™.
How does Kemin ensure food safety for pet food and rendered products? Could you provide examples of the natural and synthetic food safety solutions offered?
Food safety in the pet food industry is a shared responsibility among renderers, ingredient suppliers, pet food manufacturers, distributors and even the pet owners who feed the final pet food or pet treat to their companion pets. Ensuring the safety and quality of commercial pet foods is both a challenging and complex process. Pet food manufacturers face challenges like oxidative deterioration and microbial degradation of both their raw materials and finished pet food products. Failure to control microbial and oxidative deterioration in pet foods can result in loss of nutritional quality, reduced palatability, and reduced shelf-life.
Kemin provides natural and synthetic antimicrobial treatments and mold inhibitors to help extend the shelf life of pet food and treats. Our range of food safety solutions, developed for renderers and pet food manufacturers, protects ingredient quality and extends product shelf-life by mitigating microbial risks and managing oxidation. Kemin offers solutions for both oxidation and microbial risks in fats, oils, fresh and frozen meats, and rendered raw materials through its natural (RENTERRA™) and Synthetic (ALLINSUR™). Pet food & treats can be produced in a wide variety of product forms, many of which are at elevated microbial risk due to their high moisture content and potentially elevated water activity to prevent this unpleasant situation Kemin offers solutions through its mold inhibitors like Previon VC (Natural) & Aclarion (Synthetic).
Please elaborate on Kemin’s specialization in palatability and how it helps optimize the flavour, aroma, and texture of pet food products.
The palatability of a pet food is influenced by many factors such as the freshness of raw materials and how palatability enhancers are applied during the pet food manufacturing process. When creating a successful product, you need a trusted partner whose expertise includes ingredients, raw materials, and an understanding of the behavioural differences and preferences of our end users – dogs and cats.
Drawing on technical capabilities around flavour, stabilization, pet food safety, and quality, Kemin palatants are designed to meet unique customer needs. Our palatants provide a taste equal to or better than competitive products. They’re also designed to ensure consistent quality and achieve label claims important to our customers. We assure the optimal flavour, aroma, and texture of your pet food products with our pet-approved palatants including liquid, dry and concentrated formulations. Successfully achieving palatability in pet food requires balancing product formulation, ingredient stability, and flavour profiles. At Kemin, we have a range of products designed specifically to appeal to dogs and/or cats. These solutions are based on protein hydrolysis and flavour generation technology and are available in liquid, dry, and concentrated forms. Furthermore, we offer options to meet labels’ needs, such as natural, grain-free, non-GMO, & vegetarian options. Our brands include PALASURANCE (Palatants for pet food), PALIVATE™ (Palatants for wet pet food), and PALTEVA™(Natural Palatants for pet food).
In 2021, Kemin announced its commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. How does the company plan to accomplish this ambitious goal, and what steps have been taken so far?
Kemin believes in the power of science and we are taking bold action based on the overwhelming scientific consensus on the consequences of environmental pollution and pollutants originating from humans, resulting in climate change. While more research will be conducted and questions will be explored, the time to act is now.”
As an essential business and provider of ingredients for humans, animals, pets and plants, Kemin continues to grow in scale with new facilities around the world. Even with this growth, the company remains focused on decreasing its overall carbon footprint. Along with installing large-scale solar panel arrays at its global headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., its facilities in China and, at its regional headquarters in Brazil and Belgium, Kemin has been actively collecting data on its energy usage, CO2 emissions, and water usage from its global manufacturing facilities. This data will aid its corporate strategic plan to create milestones for 2025, 2030, and 2040 to help maintain its momentum toward the 2050 net zero goal.
How has the journey of expanding Kemin over the years been like? What are the learnings you have harboured about the industry and how do you plan on implementing them in your future endeavours?
“Kemin is Assurance” goes beyond a slogan we put on marketing materials; it is a way of doing business, a mindset, and a promise we make to our industry, customers, and ourselves. Our pursuit to live by this mantra has developed strong roots with our customers and over the years has built deep trust and confidence in our ability to deliver the highest levels of quality with our services and products. This trust is a fundamental and defining characteristic in all our relationships; the trust we build with our customers in the pet food and rendering industries stems from the trust we build internally across our Nutrisurance team. As a company built on Servant Leadership and wholly committed to being a People First organization, we align our words and actions in all commitments and scenarios, and in this way, we care for both our people and our customers.
We do this through close partnership and collaboration with our customers, and by continuously challenging ourselves to improve and innovate our products and processes. Today more than ever, our customers seek a trusted partner that brings creativity, ingenuity, customization, and collaboration. What sets us apart is our technical expertise and commitment to supporting the needs of our customers with our superior ingredients, innovative products, and unique value-added services.
Our vision at Kemin Nutrisurance is to be a true partner to our customers, offering a complete solutions portfolio, which links product formula and application expertise, to assist customers in creating safe and nutritious food for companion animals worldwide. This vision is executed by more than 300 Nutrisurance team members located worldwide working in partnership with more than 900 customers. The work we do with our customers in the Pet Food and Rendering industries plays an integral role in achieving Kemin’s master plan to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with our products and services. I look forward to your contributions to carry out KN’s continued success and my door is always open to listen to your suggestions.
