Cats are known for being picky eaters, but researchers have found a way to design their foods around flavors that they enjoy. In a study published in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists used a panel of feline taste-testers to identify favored flavor compounds in chicken-liver-based sprays. The cats particularly enjoyed sprays that contained more free amino acids, giving their kibble a savory and fatty flavor that was appealing to them.
Feline palates are more sensitive to umami flavors and their sense of smell plays a big role in whether they will eat their food. While cats can’t taste sweetness, they are attracted to meat-based flavors. Meat-flavored attractant sprays can help make dry kibble more appealing, but the exact correlation between volatile flavor compounds and palatability is not well understood. Previous studies in this area have lacked input from actual cats, so Shiqing Song and colleagues conducted taste tests with a panel of 10 hungry adult cats to evaluate different food sprays containing volatile flavor compounds.
The researchers prepared fragrant sprays by homogenizing and heat-treating chicken livers, then breaking down proteins in the liver paste using enzymes to create four different food attractants. They identified over 50 different flavor compounds in the sprays, ranging from tropical and floral to sweaty and rubbery. For the taste test, commercially available cat food was coated with chicken fat and sprayed with one of the four chicken liver attractants. The cats were presented with the samples alongside a control food treated with a different commercial attractant, and the researchers observed which foods the cats preferred and how much they ate.
Most cats preferred and ate more of the foods sprayed with the attractants, especially those with proteins broken down further by enzymes and containing more free amino acids. These compounds are important flavor precursors that can undergo the Maillard reaction, producing aroma-enhancing compounds during heat treatment. The favored foods had more mushroom and fatty flavors, while the less-enjoyed foods contained acidic and sweet-tasting compounds, suggesting that fewer Maillard reactions occurred. This research could help inform future cat food formulations and increase the likelihood of choosing a kibble that a finicky feline might enjoy.
The study was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, and the researchers thank their feline volunteers for participating in the taste tests. By understanding the flavors that cats prefer and how these compounds can enhance the taste of their food, researchers hope to develop cat foods that are more appealing to feline taste buds. With cats’ keen sense of smell and sensitivity to umami flavors, designing foods around these preferences could lead to happier, healthier cats who enjoy their meals more.