We received on our website a question from Kiara, who is from Lajeado (south

of Brazil), questioning the importance of Yucca Schidigera and the benefits of

adding this extract to pet’s food. We thank Kiara for the question, and hope we

can help all our readers who also have this question. Enjoy the reading!

The growth in the number of households owning cats and dogs comes with a

greater concern about pets’ health and well-being. Pet humanization has

created an even closer relationship between people and animals. This closer

proximity along with the concern with quality of life caused a significant

increase in the demand for foods which serve specific purposes.

Based on research, several additives have been found to provide important

benefits, when added to dogs and cats’ diets, both to pet and family life

integration. An important example is feces odor reduction, a nuisance when

animals and humans share the same space.

Yucca Schidigera extract is an additive widely used in dogs and cats’ nutrition

because it helps to reduce the odor of feces. Saponins, comprised in Yucca,

have the property of acting on nitrogen metabolism by fixing ammonia, thus

reducing the level of gases that produce the unpleasant odor in feces, with a

reduction of up to 56% in dogs and 49% in cats. The saponified extract of

Yucca added to the diet does not affect the pets’ health, since it is not

absorbed, becoming an additional source of fibers, which makes pets’ intestine

to function even better.

Yucca Schidigera is a plant that belongs to the

Agavaceae

family and grows in

deserts, more specifically in Central and North America, mainly in the

southeast of the United States and Mexico. The indigenous peoples of these

regions used to eat its fresh fruit and dry off the leftovers to eat during periods

of food scarcity. For the production of Yucca-based commercial products,

plants are mechanically macerated and dried in order to produce its powder, or

the maceration undergoes a pressing process in order to produce its juice. The

extract is obtained from the juice, which is then used in pet’s food.

Since Nutrire is always thinking about your friend’s well-being and committed

to bringing solutions to its customers, the company offers a complete line of

foods with the addition of Yucca Schidigera extract. Both our lines Monello and

Birbo use the extract in their formulas. Levels of inclusion are indicated on the

product’s packages, with the amounts of Yucca extract expressed in

percentage (%), and with its active ingredient Saponin indicated in milligrams

per kilo (mg/kg) of food. This benefit ensures a healthy and pleasant

relationship between you and your pets.

Gabriel Victoria Martins

Veterinarian

CRMV-RS 16272

Technical Commercial Manager for Nutrire Indústria de Alimentos Ltd.