Understanding encapsulated, chelated ingredients | Pet Food Processing

This article was published in the July/August 2025 issue of Pet Food Processing. Read it and other articles from this issue in our July/August digital edition. 

Cats and dogs can’t pour a glass of orange juice when they feel the sniffles coming on or prepare avocado whole grain toast to ward off muscle and joint pain. Because cats and dogs often eat the same — or nearly the same — food at every meal, it is paramount that the food delivers all the necessary nutrients in the proper amount to the animal. To accomplish this, essential nutrients are added and often protected through encapsulation or chelation. 

“It is very challenging to formulate a complete-and-balanced diet without micronutrient fortification due to the variability of the base food ingredients,” said Trevor Faber, Ph.D., director of Pet Nutrition, Trouw Nutrition, Highland, Ill. “In addition, numerous dietary and supply chain factors can degrade, oxidize or alter nutrients to render them unavailable to the animal. Encapsulation and chelation help protect the nutrients from these detriments.”

“It is very challenging to formulate a complete-and-balanced diet without micronutrient fortification due to the variability of the base food ingredients,” said Trevor Faber, Ph.D., Trouw Nutrition.

Winston Samuels, Ph.D., chief executive officer and chief scientific officer, Maxx Performance Inc, Roanoke, Va., added, “Adoption of encapsulated and chelated ingredients is increasing, driven by greater regulatory scrutiny and demand for label claim compliance. Many manufacturers now include these ingredients as part of their micronutrient pre-mixes, thereby optimizing nutrient delivery and product stability.”

Encapsulation technology provides other purposes as well. It’s all about protection. 

“Encapsulated processing aids can be tailored for various release targets during the production process to achieve the finished product target design,” said Eric Altom, Ph.D., technical nutritionist and director of Companion Animal Innovations – Animal Nutrition and Health Division at Balchem Corporation, Mont Vale, NJ. 

Balchem, for example, encapsulates sodium bicarbonate to alter the leavening reaction in kibble-type products. This can improve density and porosity, as the ingredient gets released and performs its function at the correct time in the process. 

“Our encapsulated acids are useful for controlling pH and finished product stability, without impacting raw material freshness and handling,” Altom said. “Encapsulation can control a reactive raw material from interacting with other ingredients.

“Encapsulation can control a reactive raw material from interacting with other ingredients,” said Eric Altom, Ph.D., Balchem Corporation.

“Encapsulates can be tailored for various release targets,” he added. “This is accomplished through raw material selection, whether that is size, solubility, coating composition, level of thickness or determining when to incorporate the encapsulate during processing.”

Encapsulation may also assist with protecting proteins. That’s because high-processing temperatures can denature protein, which affects nutritional value and functionality. 

“Vitamins and minerals are the primary ingredients of most pre-mixes, but other nutrients can also be added to provide an all-in-one offering to simplify the manufacturing process,” said Fionn Fortune, senior product strategy manager – Nutritional Supplements and Animal Health, Glanbia Nutritionals, Chicago. “Amino acids that are important to a dog’s diet can be used in a pre-mix formula. Any encapsulated or chelated ingredients that are part of the formula are encapsulated and chelated on their own.”

Altom added, “The best sources of vitamins and minerals included in pet foods to ensure that they are complete sources of nutrition are synthetic and are processed. For minerals, if consumers want a truly natural source, they would need to look for foods that are enriched with ground up rocks. There are also very few natural sources of vitamins that are commercially viable.”

Ingredient processing technologies

Encapsulation and chelation are two very different, yet complementary ingredient technologies. Both have been around for a long time. What’s changing is the industries using them and the ingredients they are applied to. 

Balchem encapsulates sodium bicarbonate to alter the leavening reaction in kibble-type products.

| Source: Balchem Corporation

Encapsulation technology coats each particle with a food-grade barrier, improving stability, flowability and nutrient retention. The technology may be applied to any ingredient and there are many varied barrier materials.

“Using encapsulates tends to be very producer friendly, as they act by removing problematic ingredients from a system, therefore making processing simpler,” said Robert Mason, senior applications scientist at Balchem. “Steps may need to be taken to minimize excessive shear on the raw materials, or in the case of lipid based encapsulates, excessive heat during processing or storage.”

Samuels added, “Encapsulation technology is now widely used to protect probiotics, ensuring they remain stable and viable throughout high-temperature processes. Encapsulation also helps mask unwanted odors or flavors from botanicals, which is important since pets, especially dogs, are highly sensitive to taste and smell.”

Unlike encapsulation, which is a technology that can be used on almost any food ingredient, chelation is a technology intended for minerals. Minerals are solid inorganic (void of carbon) compounds with a specific chemical composition and crystal structure. Chelation binds minerals to a carbon-containing molecule to improve bioavailability. 

“Trace minerals are commonly chelated to an organic ligand to help promote stability and availability in the diet and an in the animal,” Faber said. “Binding up the attachment sites on the metal ion with an organic ligand decreases interactions with undesirable compounds, as well as oxidation.”

Altom added, “The principles of chelation technology have been around for several decades and really have not changed. What has changed is the improvement in the ligands and the analytical ability to identify if a product is chelated.”

Protecting minerals 

Encapsulation provides a protective barrier for an active ingredient that may be an integral part of a pet food formulation.

| Source: Balchem Corporation

Minerals, including trace minerals, are present in plants, which obtain them from the soil. In theory, mammals — including humans — should consume sufficient essential minerals through a minimally processed, whole food, balanced daily diet. However, that’s not the case with processed pet foods. Further, many minerals have been shown to provide health and wellness benefits when the diet is supplemented with them on a regular basis. Delivering chelated versions through pet food is becoming more common than giving a supplement.   

“Metals and trace minerals are better to be fed in chelated form, as they are reactive components,” said Gavin Boerboom, director of Trace Minerals at Trouw Nutrition. “Reactive components can negatively interact with other feed ingredients, rendering both of them unavailable to the animal. 

“While chelation can offer benefits, only a strong chelation can survive through the gastrointestinal-tract environment, particularly the stomach phase with low pH,” he added. “A strong chelated product, such as a proteinate, can survive this scenario more easily and thus offers full benefits.” 

ADM adds carbon to minerals by chelating them with the amino acid glycine. This ensures a stable bond and efficient nutrient absorption. 

“Our glycinates are water soluble, meaning ionic compounds remain intact without dissociation, making them suitable for wet, semi-moist and liquid pet food, treat and supplement applications,” said Jennifer Adolphe, Ph.D., pet technical sales manager, ADM, Chicago. “The complex is resistant to pH degradation and less susceptible to oxidation. In addition, glycinates provide an effective and sustainable solution for mineral supplementation in pet nutrition, addressing the challenge of bioavailability with improved nutrient absorption in cats and dogs that helps minimize mineral excretion into the environment.”

When chelated minerals are used in pet foods, most often it is in premium and super-premium brands, according to Adolphe. Chelated minerals are typically used in combination with inorganic mineral sources. The common practice is to provide up to 25% of the total mineral content as the chelated mineral and the balance as the inorganic source. Encapsulation and chelation may also be used together. 

Chelated minerals blend well with other ingredients and decrease negative interactions with other essential nutrients such as vitamins and fatty acids.

| Source: Balchem Corporation

“Encapsulation provides a protective barrier that shields these compounds from oxygen, moisture and heat, preserving their potency through processing and storage,” Samuels said. “Chelation of minerals further enhances their stability and bioavailability. Together, encapsulation and chelation ensure that sensitive nutrients remain available and efficacious in the final pet food product, supporting label compliance and optimal nutrition.”

Zinpro, Eden Prairie, Minn., manufactures its chelated minerals using a patented process where one metal ion is bound to one amino acid. 

“This stable bond allows the minerals to remain intact through the digestive process, ensuring they are absorbed efficiently into the bloodstream and utilized by the animal to deliver their full intended health benefits,” said Laura Amundson, Ph.D., research and discovery scientist – Pet at Zinpro. “With increased demand for pet foods packed with health benefits, every ingredient matters more than ever and using chelated trace minerals is one effective way that pet food innovators can improve the performance of their formulas by utilizing already required ingredients.”

Part of the pre-mix

Using pre-mixes, rather than measuring out individual nutrients, provides numerous benefits. 

ADM scientists, such as this one working in the company’s Animal Nutrition Center, formulate glycinates that are suitable for wet, semi-moist and liquid pet food, treat and supplement applications. 

| Source: ADM

“Pre-mixes serve several functions. They free up micro-bin space in the mills and they help ensure appropriate additions of nutrients added at small levels,” said Stephen Ashmead, senior research fellow – Mineral Science at Balchem. “However, there are many smaller, specialty mills that do not produce enough product to justify having their own custom mineral pre-mix made. They simply add all the nutrients separately. This is not a negative but, actually gives the nutritionist more flexibility in choosing or changing nutrient levels. Even some of the large mills have special diets that have different nutrient levels and add individual nutrients separately.”

Encapsulation and chelation add some cost up front, but deliver significant value by improving ingredient stability and effectiveness. The result is better compliance with label claims, enhanced shelf life and improved product quality.

“These technologies help prevent degradation, allowing formulators to use lower dosages of expensive or sensitive nutrients, essentially, using less to deliver more. Improved stability means manufacturers do not need to overdose ingredients to compensate for anticipated losses, reducing overall cost-in-use,” Samuels concluded. “Encapsulated and chelated ingredients can be blended easily with other components in pre-mixes, and their stability makes them adaptable to a wide range of processing conditions, including high temperatures and varied humidity.”

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