Interpretive Summary: Nutrient profile, amino acid digestibility, true metabolizable energy, and indispensable amino acid scoring of whole hemp seeds for use in canine and feline diets
By: Shannon Finet, Fei He, Pam L Utterback, Carl M Parsons, Maria R C de Godoy
Hemp products have become popular in the human food and health industry over the past few years. Due to this, a growing interest in using hemp ingredients in animal products has developed as well. There is a need to investigate the nutritional properties and potential utility of hemp seeds in food products for companion animals in order for them to be consumed safely and effectively. Four different varieties of hemp seed were evaluated and found to have similar fat, fiber, and protein content as well as protein quality. The results indicate that hemp seeds may be an advantageous ingredient in the development of pet food products, but a more in depth evaluation using pet species is necessary to confirm this.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.