Raw vs. Cooked How Processing Leads to Nutrient Retention in Dog and Cat Food

One of the questions that is always presented is what is the best food for my dog or cat. The answer isn’t so simple. There can be a lot of difficulties with allergies, age, breed and so many other variables. This is not medical advice but information to help find the right fit for a nutritional dog and cat diet. In this post we will discuss how nutrient retention during processing plays a part in what type of food is fed to companions.

Nutrient Retention

A variety of things can happen during the growing, harvesting, storing and processing of food that can affect its nutritional content. Processes that expose foods to high levels of heat, light or oxygen cause the greatest nutrient loss.

A Brief Intro into Natty Nootz processing of dog and cat treats 

First, Natty Nootz Freeze’s

Nutrient value of food is retained when it is frozen. Any losses in nutrients are due to prior processing before freezing and type of cooking once thawed.

Then Natty Nootz Freeze dries

There are varying beliefs of what temperature range is best when cooking to maintain food in its raw nutritional form. Between 115 degrees to 125 degrees seems to be the consensus on what constitutes cooking at a temperature to maintain its “raw” form. When freeze drying, Natty Nootz maintains that temperature range during the drying process to keep its raw nutrient retention. Statistics show Freeze-drying maintains 97% of raw nutrient and mineral values.

Does cooking destroy Nutrients? 

Heat can change the compounds of most all types of food. There is a misconception that cooked foods kill all nutrients which is simply not true. Properly cooked foods can lead to a loss of bioavailability of some nutrients but it does not mean that all the nutrients are lost. Even more, some foods actually create other bioavailable nutrients when cooked, which can be beneficial in dog and cat diets. The difference is overcooking at high heat. This can potentially destroy most of the beneficial nutrients. This is why highly processed dog and cat kibbles have nutrients added back into them. Kibble can essentially turn into empty calories of its main ingredients with synthetic nutrients added back in to meet nutrient requirements. If kibble has worked or is working in a dog or cats diet, we recommend using Natty Nootz organic beef liver as a daily supplement to add back a natural source of dense nutrients.

The Impact of Natty Nootzc Raw Organic Beef Liver on Nutrient Content if Cooked Properly

Based on how certain vitamins react depending if they are fat-soluble or water-soluble, we will break down how it affects Natty Nootz organic beef liver. Grass Fed Organic Beef liver is rich in iron, vitamin A, B, and D, folic acid, phosphorus, essential fatty acids, zinc, and copper.  

• Vitamin A is fat-soluble: Meaning Vitamin A is not significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-stable nutrient and can leach into the cooking oil.
• Iron: When cooking Iron, mineral amounts can be reduced. This typically happens more often in Iron found in plant-based foods than it does in meats.
• Copper: Copper is not significantly impacted by cooking because it tends to be a more heat-stable nutrient.
• Vitamin B12 is water-soluble: Meaning Vitamin B12 can be significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-sensitive nutrient. While the loss of Vitamin B12 can be significant, cooked beef liver still holds great nutritional value.
• Folate is water-soluble: Meaning Folate can be significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-sensitive nutrient. While the loss of Folate can be significant, cooked beef liver still holds great nutritional value.

Conclusion of Raw vs Cooked when it comes to Natty Nootz Raw Organic Beef Liver           

Both are good choices when adding cooked or raw liver as a nutritional source in a dog or cats’ daily diet. Raw liver includes more Folate and Vitamin B12. While some say cooking liver properly increases the amount of Iron and other minerals. This increase in minerals could also be attributed to the fact that the minerals are now denser because of the loss of moisture in the meat. Keep in mind freeze-drying reduces the moisture content without being cooked. Overcooked or highly processed liver can lead to damaging all the nutritional value in a dog or cat’s daily diet.

How does Raw vs Cooked compare in other meats?

According to this research study on the effects of raw vs cooked Bison by Jayne M. McClenahan & Judy A. Driskell titled NF502 Nutrient Content and Sensory Characteristics of Bison Meat:

            There are many ways to cook meat which everyone can do differently. This can lead to the meat occasionally being cooked improperly. The way meat is cooked can affect the nutrient composition of meat. "For example, the mineral content of the ribeye cut of bison has been reported to increase following broiling because of the loss of moisture in the meat during cooking. In comparison these are some of the losses of vitamins when compared to raw vs cooked bison."

• Thiamin is water-soluble: Meaning Thiamin can be significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-sensitive nutrient. Thiamin retention is reduced by 41% when cooked as opposed to raw.
• Vitamin B12 is water-soluble: Meaning Vitamin B12 can be significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-sensitive nutrient. Vitamin B12 retention is reduced by 33% when cooked as opposed to raw.
• Vitamin B6 is water-soluble: Meaning Vitamin B6 can be significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-sensitive nutrient. Vitamin B6 retention is reduced by 32% when cooked as opposed to raw.
• Vitamin E is fat-soluble: Meaning Vitamin E is not as significantly impacted by cooking because it is a heat-stable nutrient and can leach into the cooking oil. Vitamin E retention is reduced by 24% when cooked as opposed to raw.

Natty Nootz Conclusion on Raw Vs Cooked

Based on our research, raw feeding for dogs and cats maintains the highest nutrient retention. Properly cooked whole food feeding for dogs and cats is a close second when it comes to nutrient retention. Highly processed and overcooked kibbles is last when it comes to nutrient retention of the ingredients in whole form. Again, if kibble has worked or is working in a dog or cats diet, we recommend using Natty Nootz organic beef liver as a daily supplement to add back a natural source of dense nutrients.

Raw feeding doesn’t have to be for everyone. Some breeds especially have a hard time on a raw diet which isn’t be a bad thing. Our main goal is to have companions getting the most nutrients as possible so they can live longer and healthier lives. Full of more life and love to share with their owners. It will always be up to the owner to decide what is best for their companions as they are the ones that are with them on a day-to-day basis and can learn what works best for them.