R&D center

The company has an R&D team led by overseas returning expert and mainly composed of PhDs and MAs. Behind each product launch, there are dozens or even hundreds of eliminated formulas and hundreds of experiments. In order to achieve excellence and advantage in palatability and cost-effectiveness, Wing Pet Food is committed with solid R&D investment and performs a large number of experiments.

Palatability Verification :

Palatability tests are extremely important for pet food and pet food palatability enhancer manufacturers. The palatability test of pet food is different from that of human food. We can’t ask the pets directly for their opinions. Therefore, we must adopt objective and quantitative methods to measure and evaluate the palatability level of pet food.

Palatability Test Methodology :

There are generally two type of palatability test methods, single-bowl and two-bowl test. The test method is selected based on different testing purposes. At present, between these two methods of palatability testing methods, two-bowl test is more popular. To perform a two-bowl test, different pet food products are placed on two identical bowls, which are placed in front of the pet for a certain amount of time. Pet dogs and cats are free to choose between the two bowls. The palatability difference between the two pet food products can be shown very obviously, the experimenters need to ensure that the difference of palatability test data is caused by the actual palatability difference of the two pet food products, not by human interferences.

How to Build a Panel :

In order to perform reliable palatability tests, a certain number of qualified pet dogs or cats should be selected to form the expert panel. The panel shall include animals of different breeds and sizes, as well as different dietary habits. The richer the variety of pet animals, the more representative the results are. At Wing Pet Food expert panel, all the animals receive long-term and systematic training with strict selection and elimination mechanisms. Only animal who manages to pass various selection processes can become the official member of the panel who is capable to tell the nuances between different products. 

Before conducting the palatability test, in addition to the breeds and body size of the animals, factors such as the animal's health, hunger, mood and weather conditions all may have dramatical impact on the palatability test results. All these factors should be taken into considerations for the palatability test.

Indicators for Palatability Test :

Most pet food manufacturers use the intake ratio (IR), consumption ratio (CR), the first choice (FC) as indicators to evaluate palatability. Intake ratio refers to the amount of food intake of one trial diet divided by the sum of the amount of food intake of two samples. The calculation formula is: IR (A) =A/(A+B). Consumption ratio refers to the amount of food consumed divided by the amount of contrast food samples consumed. The formula is: CR (A) = A/B. First choice refers to the bowl from which the test animal first takes food. First choice rate of A = number of animals that first take food A divided by the total number of samples. Through the computer analysis of these data collected, objective test results can be obtained.