Postprandial plasma amino acid, glucose, and insulin responses in healthy dogs following the consumption of extruded diets containing cricket powder or poultry meal

Lay Summary Insect-derived ingredients, such as cricket powder (CKP), are gaining popularity in the pet food industry as a sustainable, high protein option for companion animal diets. Because CKP is a relatively new ingredient, its metabolic effects in dogs still need to be explored. The goal of this study was to evaluate how an extruded diet formulated with CKP impacts plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and amino acids in dogs after a meal. Eight dogs were enrolled in a crossover design and fed two dietary treatments: CTRL (containing 30% poultry meal) or CKP-D (containing 30% CKP). Glucose and insulin responses did not differ between diets. However, dogs consuming CKP-D had a greater appearance of several amino acids in the blood, particularly the branched-chain amino acids, which play an important role in supporting protein synthesis. Together, our results suggest that the CKP-based diet used in this study does not impair blood glucose metabolism and that the amino acids in the CKP-D may be more bioavailable than those in the CKP-D diet.