o:8608 Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation en This study evaluated the amino acid composition of commercial dog and cat foods and exam- ined differences between them. Fifteen samples were analyzed using ion-exchange chroma- tography, followed by principal component analysis (PCA). Cat food contained higher levels of most amino acids, especially taurine, and had greater total amino acid (protein) content than dog food. PCA showed clear separation between the two groups, driven mainly by taurine and overall amino acid concentration. Glycine, histidine, and methionine contributed modestly to group differentiation. Dog food samples had more uniform amino acid profiles, while cat food samples showed greater variability, particularly in glycine, glutamic acid, leucine, and alanine content. These findings reflect species-specific nutritional requirements and indicate that cat foods, due to stricter amino acid demands, show higher variability between formulations, while dog foods are formulated in a more uniform way. Further research with a larger and more diverse sample set is needed to confirm these results and assess broader formulation trends in the pet food industry. Amino acids, Pet food, Dog nutrition, Cat nutrition, Protein composition, Principal component analysis 1552099 10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.41 2025-12-05T07:56:04.962Z 44 yes 46 Čaba Silađi Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1933-3849 Srđan Stefanović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation person https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8011-5654 Danka Spirić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation person https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6008-7625 Radivoj Petronijević Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation person https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3901-3824 Ognjen Krnjaja Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation person https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2242-0457 Nikola Borjan Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation person https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-3755 Milenko Babić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Amino acid profiling of commercial dog and cat foods: comparative analysis and principal component evaluation person https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6467-6757 application/pdf 473033 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8608 no yes 16 70 92000001 71A01 Meat technology - Special Issue 66/3 2025 1-576 66 3 255 259 Kaćanskog 13, 11 000 Belgrade Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology 2025-12-01 www.journalmeattechnology.com