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Active dogs thrive on diets high in fat. To preserve a high-fat dry kibble diet, however, is a challenge. The IAMS research team met that challenge with an effective preservative system used in all our dry dog food products, such as IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Adult MiniChunks.
The preservative system features a special blend of mixed tocopherols. Tocopherols are antioxidants extracted from vegetable oils. There are four major types of tocopherols. Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, is commonly used in dog foods, though a specific mixture of the different tocopherols protects against rancidity.
Our preservative system slows the rate of oxidation and allows for an extended shelf life.
Wet foods, such as IAMS™ ProActive Health™ with Chicken and Whole Grain Rice Pate, do not require preservatives because they are preserved by packaging. When the ingredients are mixed and ready for cooking, the mixture is packed into cans, trays or pouches and cooked in a retort. Similar in principle to a pressure cooker, the retort sterilizes and preserves the product.
The cans, trays or pouches are then cooled under conditions that assure product sterility and container integrity.
Thorough shelf-life testing is conducted on all our products. In general, shelf lives for various types of products are:
24 months for wet foods
16 months for dry foods
12 months for biscuits
By using a preservative system in our dry dog food and preservation through packaging in our wet dog food, IAMS makes sure the food your dog eats is well-balanced and nutritionally beneficial.
Antioxidants are nutrients found naturally in the body and in plants such as fruits and vegetables. Common antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and certain compounds called carotenoids (like lutein and beta-carotene).
As cells function normally in the body, they produce damaged molecules called free radicals. These free radicals are highly unstable and steal components from other cellular molecules, such as fat, protein, or DNA, thereby spreading the damage.
This damage continues in a chain reaction, and entire cells soon become damaged and die. This process is called peroxidation. Peroxidation is useful because it helps the body destroy cells that have outlived their usefulness and kills germs and parasites. However, peroxidation, when left unchecked, also destroys or damages healthy cells.
Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular destruction by stabilizing free radicals. More important, antioxidants return to the surface of the cell to stabilize, rather than damage, other cellular components.
When there are not enough antioxidants to keep peroxidation in check, free radicals begin damaging healthy cells, which, in turn, can lead to problems. For example, free-radical damage to cells of the immune system can lead to an increased risk of infections.
Because antioxidants play a key role in minimizing damage to human cells, such as those that make up the immune system, research examined the benefits of certain antioxidants on the immune response of dogs. The results of these studies indicated that antioxidants are important in helping dogs maintain a healthy immune system.
