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]