Should You Be Concerned About Tapioca Starch In Cat Food?

Because our cats provide us with comfort, companionship, and entertainment, we naturally strive to feed them the best diet possible to ensure a long and healthy life.
But how can you tell the difference between marketing claims and science-based nutrition? Tapioca starch is one of those enigmatic ingredients that appears on pet wellness forums, eliciting more questions than answers.
Why do pet food manufacturers use tapioca starch in some cat foods? Is it secure? Is it healthy for cats?
Tapioca starch is used in some grain-free pet foods as a binder and carbohydrate. Tapioca starch is derived from cassava and contains neither poisonous hydrogen cyanide nor significant nutrients. It is safe in healthy cats but should be avoided in obese or diabetic cats. These diets may benefit cats with rare grain allergies.

What Is Tapioca Starch and Where Can I Find It?

Tapioca starch is made from the cassava plant’s large roots (Manihot esculenta). Cassava is also known as manioc and yuca (not to be confused with the ornamental yucca plant). This woody shrub, native to South America, feeds over 800 million people in South America, Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean Islands. In these regions, it ranks third behind rice and maize as a calorie source.

Cassava has sustained populations for centuries due to its drought and pest resistance, as well as its versatility. Cassava was introduced to Africa by Portuguese explorers in the 1600s, and it was quickly adopted by Southern Asia. Nigeria is currently the largest cassava grower, while Thailand exports the most cassava-derived ingredients.

What is the purpose of tapioca starch in some cat foods?

Because of its thickening properties and bland flavor, tapioca flour is used in baking as well as gravies and sauces for human consumption. Tapioca flour can help people with gluten intolerance or allergies enjoy cupcakes and cookies again. Many pet food companies produce grain-free products in response to consumer demand. Potatoes, peas, and tapioca starch are frequently used to replace gluten-containing grains like wheat or gluten-free grains like rice.
Protein, fats, and carbohydrates provide calories, or energy, to pet foods. In addition to energy, pet foods must contain essential nutrients and ingredients that confer palatability – if your cat turns his nose up at the food, it won’t matter how nutritious it is.
Additionally, commercial pet foods must be fresh and contain ingredients that allow for proper consistency. We expect the best dry cat food, for example, to be uniform crunchy bites that do not break apart into crumbs when the bags are transported or stored.
Tapioca starch acts as a binder, holding multiple ingredients together and creating the desired texture. Because of its bland flavor and low cost, it is an acceptable carbohydrate source that will not taint the flavor. Tapioca starch is used by cat food manufacturers as a replacement carbohydrate as well as an ingredient binder for pet owners looking for a grain-free alternative. More on this later.

Is Tapioca Starch Healthy?

Tapioca contains a few minerals, such as iron, but it lacks nutritional value when compared to whole grains. It has much less protein than rice or wheat.

However, things can become complicated when you consider that cassava, the source of tapioca starch, contains a variety of nutrients. However, the intensive processing required to produce tapioca starch reduces its nutritional value, so don’t mix the two. Tapioca starch is primarily a carbohydrate and a binder.

So, How Did Cassava Acquire a Toxic Reputation?

A malnourished population, the substitution of bitter varieties for sweet cassava, and improper processing to remove toxins have all been implicated in tragic poisonings that resulted in rapid death. Chronic exposure to cyanide in trace amounts can cause neurological issues and thyroid gland disease (goiter).
There have been numerous reports of human poisoning caused by improperly processed cassava in Africa. These populations are frequently malnourished, and the very low protein content of their diet was thought to contribute to their susceptibility to toxins.
More recently, a hunger crisis in Venezuela resulted in deaths when people consumed a bitter form of cassava. Children in Uganda were poisoned by chips made from cassava flour derived from a wild form of the plant. Due to an unusually high level of cyanogenic glycosides from cassava, there was even a cracker recall in Australia. These cases involved cassava rather than the refined tapioca starch. There have been no recalls of cat or dog food due to cyanide levels in tapioca starch.

What About Tapioca Starch and Food Allergies?

Many cat owners are concerned that their cat may be allergic to grains and seek a grain-free diet as a result. Food allergies in cats can result in itching, hair loss, and gastrointestinal upset.

However, the vast majority of true food allergies are to animal proteins like chicken or fish, rather than grains. Grain allergies are extremely uncommon in cats! Because food allergies are difficult to diagnose, your veterinarian can assist you in developing a plan to determine if your cat has them. A food trial of eight to twelve weeks with a novel protein diet or hydrolyzed protein diet can help determine if your cat has a food allergy. There are other causes of these symptoms, so switching to a grain-free diet should be at the bottom of your list of things to do if your cat’s fur is thinning.

Final Thoughts

That was a lot of stuff to unpack just to feed your meowing friend breakfast!
The bottom line is that high-quality commercial pet foods are designed to provide balanced nutrition for the majority of cats. A cat with a rare allergy to grains such as corn or wheat may benefit from a diet that replaces those grains with tapioca starch.
The cyanide scare with tapioca starch isn’t a real issue if the sweet cassava plant is processed properly. Millions of people worldwide consume tapioca starch in various forms without becoming ill. If you’re not sure what to feed your cat, consult with your veterinarian to see if there are any specific health concerns, such as obesity, that might point you in the right direction. A commercial cat diet rich in high-quality protein sources and grains can help your feline friend thrive for many years.

source https://babypetdaily.com/should-you-be-concerned-about-tapioca-starch-in-cat-food/