Carbohydrates
There are two categories of carbohydrates, which have very different functions : on the one hand, starches, and on the other, soluble and insoluble fibres.
STARCHES AND THEIR COOKING PROCESS
Thanks to an enzyme known as lactase, the kitten can digest milk but, as he grows, his lactase level falls very quickly and is replaced by another enzyme, AMYLASE, which is capable of digesting starch. This is why the level of starch is very low in BABY & MUMMY but increases gradually up to adulthood always in low quantity (less than 20 %) in order to respect the strict carnivore nature of the cats.
It does not really matter where starches come from (rice, maize, etc.). What is vital is to achieve the ideal cooking process that creates maximum “gelatinisation” of the starch, leading to optimum digestibility (over 85 %). This is why the mastery foods starches are cooked separately from the other ingredients while ensuring that the cooking temperature and its duration are optimal.
SOLUBLE AND INSOLUBLE FIBRES
There are two major categories of fibres that are vital to good food digestion, but whose role is very different, depending on whether they are soluble or insoluble fibre.
- Insoluble fibres : mainly represented by cellulose, they are indigestible and help towards good digestion as well as to hairball regulation and elimination. This cellulose is essential but, unlike a food for herbivores, it should be found in only very small quantities.
->CHANGES IN THE % OF INSOLUBLE FIBRES (% CELLULOSE) IN mastery PRO FOODS :
- Soluble fibres : these help towards good fermentation at the end of the digestive tract : the colon. The most important soluble fibre group is made up of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS).
The FOS % (extracted from beet) added to the mastery PRO foods for cats is situated between 0.04 and 0.26 %, in order to have weak smelling stools while decreasing the bad smelling gas quantity.
FOS help in preserving the colon flora, while favouring its growth and helping to fight against undesirable bacteria proliferation. They also help ensuring the colon mucous’ integrity for a better digestive comfort and a better local immunity.
