Bill Schneider wrote: (of his vet)
>He recommends Flint River cat food for ferretss, mainly because it is
>baked at a lower temp and therefore the proteins and carbs remain short and
>easier to break down.  Higher temp baking makes the foods toughr to process
>and the fert ends up using its immune system to digest the foods.
 
I know that cooking can destroy some of the nutritional value in foods; some
nutrients such as beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor are easily destroyed
by heat.  Temperature as well as length cooking time would be a factor.
Proteins, when heated can become denatured (change shape), and can (among
other things) lose their solubility in water, which might be a factor in
digestion.  But I've never heard of proteins or carbohydrates becoming more
complex (longer chains of amino acids or carbs) as a result of heating, nor
have I heard of the immune system being used to break down foods.  Someone
correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound right to me.
 
-Ilena Ayala
[Posted in FML issue 1920]