Cats are known for being amusingly selective and bizarrely inconsistent when it comes to what they will or won't graze on throughout the day.
As researchers seek to understand more about what cats want, the Shanghai Institute of Technology has decided to get animals directly involved. They selected 10 lucky felines to choose between a variety of different kibble flavors, analyzing which ones got the most attention.
The market for cat food is highly lucrative and expected to grow rapidly in coming years, according to CMI Market Research. It was worth $38.4 billion in the U.S. alone in 2022 and by 2032 it's expected to reach $55.6 billion.
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Previous studies appear to have omitted any input from cats, but this one aims to identify ingredients and formulations that are more appealing to them, thereby making commercial cat food tastier and more alluring.
Each kibble bowl was developed to have a distinct taste, with over 50 different flavor compounds identified across the selection, ranging from floral and fruity, to sweaty and rubbery. This was achieved by coating the food in aromatic sprays to improve, or in some cases diminish, the dry food's taste.
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Smell plays a crucial role in perceived food palatability—cats have almost 40 times more odor-sensitive cells than humans, so they're probably often choosing with their noses.
To create their taste-boosting fragrances, the researchers first homogenized and heat-treated chicken livers. They then used enzymes to break down the proteins in the liver paste to different extents, resulting in four distinct food sprays.
The samples were presented to the cats alongside a control food treated with a different, commercially available attractant.
Meat-driven preferences were proven to be the case across the board, as most cats particularly preferred the sprays with broken down proteins containing free amino acids—conducive to the maillard reaction, the browning that gives steak and roasted vegetables a greater depth of flavor.
Cats don't have the taste buds for sweet flavors, instead possessing an overwhelming preference for the savory, umami notes found in meat and fish.
The bowls with fewer maillard-adjacent notes—those with sweeter, more delicate flavors—received less appreciation from the hungry volunteers. Mushroom flavors were also a big hit as they contain glutamate, a type of amino acid that provides the meaty, umami flavor cats adore.
Cats can eat as much as seven cups of dry food a week depending on size, so it might as well be a product they truly love.
This research could guide the development of future cat food recipes and improve the likelihood of selecting a kibble that your picky cat will enjoy.
You can read the research in full via the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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