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Research Article

Nutritional, microbiological, and palatability evaluation of dry pet food formulated with dried mongolian horse liver and lung
Bayasakh Munkhtur1
,
Buyanchimeg Baasanjargal2
,
Bayarbat Ishvaanjil1
,
Gurbazar Damdinsuren3
,
Ulambayar Temuujin3*
1School of Applied Sciences, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 17029, Mongolia
2School of Engineering and technology, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 17029, Mongolia
3School of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 17029, Mongolia
*Corresponding Author
30 September 2026. pp. 170-178
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Abstract

This study evaluated horse liver and lung as locally available ingredients for dry dog food production in Mongolia. Fresh organs were trimmed, sliced, hot-air dried, ground, and incorporated into prototype foods. Drying reduced organ moisture from 41.2–48.2% to 7.5–8.2% and consequently concentrated crude protein, fat, ash, iron, and copper on an as-is basis. The dried liver and lung contained approximately 41.3–41.7% crude protein. Two selected products, formulated predominantly with liver or lung, had moisture contents of 7.1% and 7.5%, crude protein contents of 42.01% and 41.6%, and fat contents of 15.0% and 14.2%, respectively. Microbiological counts were 3 × 10² and 2 × 10² CFU/g, while Escherichia coli and molds were not detected using the reported procedures. In a feeding assessment with ten adult dogs, daily intake did not differ between the control and test foods (286.5 ± 18.4 vs. 292.8 ± 17.6 g/day; P = 0.438). In a two-bowl preference assessment, the test food accounted for 68% of first-choice observations and had greater reported consumption than the control food (186.4 ± 15.2 vs. 131.3 ± 17.8 g; P = 0.013). These findings indicate that dried horse organs can provide concentrated animal protein and acceptable palatability. However, the reported ash/mineral and energy values for the finished products require analytical verification because the proximate components do not satisfy mass-balance constraints. Amino acid adequacy, nutrient digestibility, long-term safety, and complete-diet status should therefore be established before commercial nutritional claims are made.

Keywords
Canine nutrition
Horse by-products
Hot-air drying
Pet food
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Information
  • Publisher :Journal of Humanimal Sciences
  • Publisher(Ko) :한경국립대학교 휴머니멀응용과학연구소
  • Journal Title :Journal of Humanimal Sciences
  • Journal Title(Ko) :휴머니멀과학학술지
  • Volume : 2
  • No :3
  • Pages :170-178
  • Received Date : 2026-08-13
  • Revised Date : 2026-09-09
  • Accepted Date : 2026-09-15
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.23341/jhas.2026.2.3.170
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