# Oxidation of dog food



## NewfieAussie (Feb 19, 2013)

It has been way too many years since I had a chemistry class, all I remember is that oxidation is when oxygen combines and breaks down something.

Does anyone understand exactly how this affects kibble and at what rate?

Is it the vitamins and minerals that are decreased, the protein? 

I have read different ways that are best to store kibble to decrease oxidation, keep in sack with clip, put sack in vittles vault. Don't pour out, OK to pour out into air tight container. Does it really matter if dog food is used up in say a month. How fast does this oxidation take place?

The sounds of the "nitrogen blanket" with O2 removed from bag sounds really good if indeed the kibble we buy is in a constant state of deterioration. 

Do plastic dog food sacks keep food fresher than paper and if so is it a significant difference?


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Hmmmm. I will be following this to see if anyone knows the answers. I always keep the food in the original bag, rolled up and then it goes into a large plastic tub that seals.


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## apriliamille (Aug 28, 2013)

i have not seen any scientific proof. but it makes sense. seen quite a few posts on various dog forums about it. one of my hobbies is nitro glow fuel radio control flying and cars. put a bottle of nitro based glow fuel on concrete or direct sunlight and kiss it good bye. i have always been tought never put a car battery on concrete. but i doubt i will purchase said food if its been tagged "nitrogen blanket with o2 removed" i already pay alot for food not paying someone for that. our food comes in sealed 7 pound bags, good enough for me. our dogs are in 60-70 pound range. they go through food fast for me to be concerned about deteriation.
ive also heard to not pour from the food bag into a seal-able bucket but to put the whole bag in a seal-able bucket


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

apriliamille said:


> i have not seen any scientific proof. but it makes sense. seen quite a few posts on various dog forums about it. one of my hobbies is nitro glow fuel radio control flying and cars. put a bottle of nitro based glow fuel on concrete or direct sunlight and kiss it good bye. i have always been tought never put a car battery on concrete. but i doubt i will purchase said food if its been tagged "nitrogen blanket with o2 removed" i already pay alot for food not paying someone for that. our food comes in sealed 7 pound bags, good enough for me. our dogs are in 60-70 pound range. they go through food fast for me to be concerned about deteriation.
> ive also heard to not pour from the food bag into a seal-able bucket but to put the whole bag in a seal-able bucket


From what I know, fats and fatty acids are affected by oxidation much faster than proteins and minerals, etc. Canned foods of course solve this for us easily being sealed, but who wants to pay for 75 % water? Kibble is preserved and these days, by popular demand, with certain accepted antioxidants. We all remember the ethoxoquin scare even though there was never any proof it was harmful,maven at extreme amounts, but hey, its's pretty much gone so end of story there. e would be most concerned about rancidity since that can be very serious. To be honest, I can't recall ever hearing about a rancidity problem except for when Purina's JM came out they briefly had a problem. It's a joint diet with high fish oil levels. They have since corrected it, though I do not know how. I know Hills j/d is in an airtight bag, while many pet food bags are actually breathable, and has a zipper to be used. The company flushed the food with nitrogen to remove the oxygen when it is sealed. Again, those measures are only because of the extremely high fatty acid levels from fish oil. I raised a number of dogs on outdated diets over the years because I had the opportunity, and hard to argue with free, but I was assured by nutritionists that the out of dates on foods are mainly for palatability. the taste diminishes way before the nutrients do. Keeping it out of extreme temps and it a sealed container like most of us do is probably all that is needed. I think you can be certain food companies are going to the extremes to prevent rancidity and the bad press that would come from it. It sure would be an awful needless way to lose a beloved dog.


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