Beet Pulp in Dog Food - Dog Nutrition DB

Beet pulp in dog food is a source of dietary fiber. It is also the main by-product of sugar beet processing.

Contents

Dried Plain Beet Pulp

What is beet pulp in dog food?

Sugar beets are grown to make granulated sugar. And beet pulp is the by-product of sugar beet processing.

Dried plain beet pulp is the dried solid residue remaining after the extraction of sugar from shredded sugar beets that were cleaned and freed from crowns and leaves^[2].

Once the sugar has been extracted you get beet pulp which mainly consists of fiber from sugar beet cell walls.

To produce dried sugar beet pulp, the fibrous material is first pressed to remove residual sugar and water before it gets dehydrated.

Beet Molasses Pulp

This is beet pulp with added molasses.

Molasses is produced by thickening the juice pressed from sugar beets. It has a brown color, is viscous, and tastes spicy-sweet.

It is primarily used to sweeten or flavor foods.

Beet molasses is about 50% sugar, including sucrose, glucose and fructose. The non-sugar content includes many salts and other minerals, betaine, raffinose, and some protein.

Reintroducing some molasses into beet pulp can act as a binder to make it easier to process. It can also add sugar and nutrients.

Beet Pulp in Dog Foods

According to a pet food industry report, more than 37.000 tons of beet pulp are used in dog foods annually^[1].

Although a significant number of commercial dog foods include beet pulp, its effects or benefits are rarely highlighted.

That’s probably because manufacturers know that some dog owners don’t like beet pulp all that much.

But for pet food businesses it is just a cost-effective and proven way to add small amounts of dietary fiber to dog foods.

Standard inclusion levels for beet pulp in dog food are below 5%^[4]. But higher levels can be found in weight management diets.

All dietary fiber resists your dog’s digestive enzymes.

Soluble fiber can be digested by gut bacteria. They ferment some of the fiber in beet pulp into short-chain fatty acids which your dog can use as an additional source of energy.

Some dog food manufacturers describe beet pulp as a source of prebiotic fiber, meaning it may favor the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. But the evidence for this claim is inconclusive^[4].

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, is neither digested by your dog nor by the microorganisms in his colon.

Beet pulp can vary in composition, it contains about 33-70% insoluble (cellulose, hemicellulose) and 10-29% soluble fibers (pectins)^[4].

It also contains small amounts of minerals, protein, and sugar.

Beet pulp is poorly digestible but moderately fermentable. It contains ten times more soluble fiber than powdered cellulose^[7].

The inclusion of beet pulp in dog food can reduce the energy and nutrient digestion of the diet^[6,7]. But the effect is smaller compared to fully indigestible fibers such as cellulose^[13,14,15].

Soluble viscous types of dietary fibers such as pectins are known to be effective in regulating blood sugar after a meal.

Beet pulp also causes food to move faster through the digestive tract.

The nutrients that escape your dog’s digestive enzymes because of beet pulp are used by the gut bacteria instead.

All of this causes a more frequent need to go and slightly softer outputs with more volume although they are still within the range of what you and I would consider “a normal dog poop“.

Is Beet Pulp Ok For Dogs?

Dog food manufacturers consider beet pulp for dogs as one of the best fiber sources to promote regular bowel movements.

Dried beet pulp in dog food is also a fairly controversial ingredient viewed as an inexpensive filler by some dog owners.

Beet pulp indeed contains insoluble fiber which adds nutrient- and calorie-free volume and dilutes nutrients. But it is not a “filler” to the same degree as cellulose which lacks soluble fiber^[7].

Some fiber is thought of as necessary in dry dog foods since it promotes gut motility, gastrointestinal health, and regular bowel movements.

And dried plain beet pulp in dog food is a well-researched ingredient and offers both insoluble and soluble dietary fiber.

The fiber ratio in dog food is an issue for manufacturers.

Too much fermentable fiber and your dog will have soft stools and produce lots of gas. Too much fiber that is not digestible at all will bulk up the output volume and dilute nutrients.

But moderately fermentable dietary fibers such as beet pulp provide just the right amount of both fiber types without compromising nutrient digestibility too much.

Being suspicious of sugar beet pulp in dog food led to some other concerns about this minor ingredient.

One of them is the claim that beet pulp is a dietary allergen. But I don’t know, are dogs allergic to dried beet pulp?

Studies looking for common allergens mainly report protein ingredients like beef, chicken, dairy products, or wheat gluten.

But food allergies are actually quite uncommon in dogs and beet pulp contains little protein (about 10% in dry matter).

On the other hand, beet pulp is not commonly available to dog owners. So it is less likely to be fed in provocation trials after an elimination diet which makes it less likely to be reported.

While, in theory, allergic reactions are possible beet pulp is not a common allergen for dogs as far as I know.

Another point of concern is the sugar content in beet pulp.

Wet beet pulp gets pressed before drying to remove most of the residual sugar. The sugar content in beet pulp is variable, typically it is well below 10%.

A 2016 study found that beet pulp decreased protein digestibility while increasing the excretion of bile acid.

This could decrease the bioavailability of sulfur amino acids and interfere with taurine recycling during digestion. Both mechanisms could impair taurine status in dogs^[8].

More than half the granulated sugar in grocery stores is made from genetically modified sugar beets.

In the end, it is not that easy to judge if beet pulp is really necessary or the best choice for a particular dog food. Yes, it is a cheap by-product, it can lower nutrient availability and add bulk. But it is also one of the most well-studied fiber sources and does a good job at regulating digestion when feeding kibble.

Alternatives to beet fiber in dog food are sweet potato, pumpkin, miscanthus grass, fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereal fibers, etc.

Dried Plain Beet Pulp

Beet Molasses Pulp

Beet Pulp in Dog Foods

Is Beet Pulp Ok For Dogs?

Further Reading