Acrylamide in Dog Food

Acrylamide is a contaminant found in processed starchy foods. Learn why you want to avoid acrylamide in dog food!

What is Acrylamide?

Acrylamide is an organic compound that is highly toxic and causes nervous system damage. It’s also carcinogenic.

Acrylamide chemical structure

Unfortunately, this food contaminant can form naturally as a by-product during cooking foods high in starch with temperatures above 120 °C, e.g. in burnt toast or potato fries[2].

So, since many kibble formulas are packed with starch and processed with heat, they most likely contain at least some acrylamide.

But to be honest, there is a lack of data about acrylamide concentrations in different dog foods, the effects of long-term exposure, or how sensitive dogs are to it anyway.

A 2021 study detected acrylamide in pet food samples but found them to be considerably lower than in fried potatoes, bread, and biscuits[7].

However, the author concluded that there are no reports on the amount of acrylamide that would cause toxicity in animals. Thus, there is currently no way to determine which levels of acrylamide in pet foods are acceptable.

So far, the very small amounts of acrylamide that have been found in pet food are considered harmless[4].

Acrylamide in dog food

As a raw material, acrylamide is used to produce polymers with many applications in chemical and manufacturing industries.

Fortunately, when acrylamide units act as building blocks in these long linear chains, they are no longer considered harmful.

One of these polymers called acrylamide-acrylic acid resin is even approved as a food additive in the US[1].

What is Acrylamide Resin?

Acrylamide acrylic acid resin is an FDA-approved food additive that may be used in the making of animal feed in the US[1].

Acrylamide polymers like acrylamide-acrylic acid resin can absorb lots of water and are used to form gels when hydrated.

It is used as a thickener and suspending agent in nonmedicated aqueous suspensions intended for addition to animal feeds.

21 CFR § 573[1]

So it`s not added directly to the food but might be part of some ingredients. But we have no information on whether this substance is actually used in pet foods.

The European Union Register of Feed Additives on the other hand doesn`t list acrylamide acrylic acid resin as a food additive[3].

Although acrylamide polymers are considered safe, they may still contain some residual acrylamide.

To ensure that the food additive polymer is not contaminated with too much residual acrylamide it may only be used when it contains no more than 0.05 % of residual acrylamide.

In summary, to minimize your dog’s exposure to acrylamide you might consider switching to a less processed type of dog food with a lower starch content.

Further Reading

[1] CFR 21 § 573. Food Additive Listing

[2] Evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA): Acrylamide.

[3] European Union Register of Feed Additives.

[4] Helena Veselá, Emanuel Šucman. Determination of acrylamide in dry feedstuff for dogs and cats. 2013.

[5] Beynen. Acrylamide in petfood. 2021.

[6] All About Dog Food: Acrylamide in Pet Food.

[7] Basheer. Electrospun Membrane for the Extraction of Acrylamide in Pet Food Samples. International Journal of Analytical Chemistry. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/1285501