Insect ingredients reduce bad breath

A diet based on the black soldier fly improves dental health and reduces bad breath in dogs. This is according to the results of a recent study, published in the Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, on the effects of insect ingredients in dog food.

Eight female beagles took part in the study, which was sponsored by Protix. Half of the animals were fed either extruded dry food containing poultry by-product meal or a comparable diet containing ProteinX - a protein meal derived from the larvae of the black soldier fly - for 50 days. The dogs were then fed the other diet for a further 50 days, and the results were compared. The proportion of ProteinX in the food was 29.4 per cent.

Researchers at the Federal University of Paraiba (UFBP) in Brazil reported a seven per cent reduction in the bacteria that cause volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) and trigger bad breath.

The study concludes that a diet based on black soldier fly has the potential to promote tooth and gum health and improve bad breath in dogs.