Reverse engineering a premium dry food for medium-sized adult dogs
A pet food brand asked Guires PNL to deformulate a premium dry food for medium-sized adult dogs and rebuild it as their own complete and balanced recipe — matching its nutrient profile and its positioning for active, healthy dogs.
What the client asked for.
- Reverse engineer a complete and balanced dry food for medium-sized adult dogs (11–25 kg), from 12 months of age.
- Keep the benchmark’s positioning: support for natural defences, muscle mass and healthy digestion in an active lifestyle.
- Deliver a recipe the client owns outright and can source, cost and manufacture, meeting FEDIAF and AAFCO adult maintenance requirements.
What the benchmark label declared
- Proteins
- Dehydrated poultry protein, hydrolysed poultry protein, maize gluten, wheat gluten, added amino acids
- Cereals
- Wheat, rice, maize, barley
- Fats & oils
- Poultry fat, sunflower oil, fish oil, algal oil (Schizochytrium sp.)
- Fibre & gut support
- Beet pulp, yeast products, yeasts as a source of mannan-oligosaccharides
- Micronutrients
- Vitamins and minerals, with preservatives and antioxidants
Analytical constituents as declared on the benchmark label (as fed). The benchmark brand is not named.
Why a label alone is not enough.
A label is not a recipe
EU labels list ingredients in descending order by weight but give no percentages 1. With 18 declared ingredients — including four cereals with overlapping nutrient profiles — many different recipes fit the same label.
Additives show only what was added
The declared vitamins and trace minerals are supplemented amounts, not totals. Selenium, for example, is declared at 0.1 mg/kg, below the AAFCO adult minimum of 0.35 mg/kg dry matter 2 — the rest comes from the ingredients, so the intrinsic contribution of every trace mineral had to be estimated.
Mineral forms matter
The EU feed-additive identification numbers on the label show a mix of inorganic and organic (chelated and yeast-bound) mineral sources 5,6. The forms chosen change bioavailability and cost, so they had to be matched, not just the amounts.
Functional positioning, nutritional claims
Natural defences, muscle mass and digestion had to be supported through nutrient design — protein quality, antioxidant vitamins, fibre and yeast fractions — and described with nutritional, not medical, claims.
How Guires PNL rebuilt the recipe.
Decode the label
We mapped the ingredient order, the additive identification numbers and the analytical constituents, and checked that the declared proximates add up — moisture, protein, fat, fibre, ash and NFE total 100.0%.
Calculate energy and nutrient density
Metabolisable energy was calculated with the NRC modified Atwater factors 3: about 3,620 kcal/kg as fed, or about 4,000 kcal/kg dry matter — the same energy basis as the AAFCO profiles, so every nutrient could be compared directly.
Confirm by analysis
Key values were confirmed by laboratory analysis of the benchmark — proximates, amino acids, fatty acids (to confirm the EPA and DHA from fish and algal oil) and minerals — through Guires Analytical Lab and partner laboratories.
Rebuild the recipe
Ingredient inclusion levels were fitted within the label order to the analysed profile using formulation software, then replaced with ingredients the client can source, keeping the same functional roles.
Design for the positioning
Protein at about 69 g per 1,000 kcal — well above the AAFCO adult minimum of 45 g — with hydrolysed poultry protein for digestibility; beet pulp and yeast-derived mannan-oligosaccharides for digestion; vitamins E and C as antioxidants; and EPA and DHA from fish and algal oil.
Premix and compliance
A custom vitamin-mineral premix was specified, and the full recipe was checked against the FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines 4 and the AAFCO adult maintenance profile 2, including the totals the label does not show.
Benchmark against the AAFCO adult maintenance profile
| Nutrient | Label (as fed) | Dry matter | AAFCO adult minimum (DM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crude protein | 25.0% | 27.6% | 18.0% |
| Crude fat | 14.0% | 15.5% | 5.5% |
| Vitamin A (added) | 14,100 IU/kg | 15,580 IU/kg | 5,000 IU/kg (max 250,000) |
| Vitamin D3 (added) | 900 IU/kg | 994 IU/kg | 500 IU/kg (max 3,000) |
| Vitamin E (added) | 500 mg/kg | 552 mg/kg | 50 IU/kg |
| Iron (added) | 40 mg/kg | 44 mg/kg | 40 mg/kg |
| Copper (added) | 12 mg/kg | 13.3 mg/kg | 7.3 mg/kg |
| Manganese (added) | 52 mg/kg | 57.5 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Zinc (added) | 128 mg/kg | 141 mg/kg | 80 mg/kg |
| Iodine (added) | 4 mg/kg | 4.4 mg/kg | 1.0 mg/kg (max 11) |
| Selenium (added) | 0.1 mg/kg | 0.11 mg/kg | 0.35 mg/kg (max 2) — met with intrinsic selenium |
Dry matter = as fed ÷ 0.905. AAFCO profiles assume 4,000 kcal ME/kg DM; the benchmark calculates at about 4,000 kcal/kg DM, so values compare directly. Vitamins and trace minerals are added amounts only; the ingredients supply more. Vitamin E as mg of all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate (1 mg ≈ 1 IU).
A formula the client approved and owns.
98% of the benchmark formula was identified and quantified, and the client approved the reconstructed recipe: a complete and balanced recipe for medium-sized adult dogs, matched to the benchmark’s declared analysis and checked against FEDIAF and AAFCO.
- Reconstructed formula with ingredient inclusion levels
- Nutrient compliance report against FEDIAF and AAFCO adult maintenance
- Custom vitamin-mineral premix specification
- Ingredient specifications and approved alternatives
- Label-ready analytical constituents and additives declaration
What reverse engineering gives a brand.
Faster to market
Starting from an established nutrient profile removes months of trial and error and gives the brand a clear benchmark to beat.
A recipe the brand owns
The client owns the reconstructed formula outright and can source locally, manage cost and register the product in its own name.
Compliance from day one
Checking totals — not just declared additives — against FEDIAF and AAFCO catches gaps such as selenium before a product reaches the market.
Benchmarking done properly
Deformulation works from the published label and laboratory analysis. We do not copy brand names, packaging or patented processes, and the final recipe is the client’s own.
References
- Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed. Source ↗
- AAFCO. Dog and cat food nutrient profiles. Source ↗
- National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press. Source ↗
- FEDIAF (2025). Nutritional Guidelines for complete and complementary pet food for cats and dogs. Source ↗
- Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition. Source ↗
- European Commission. Feed additives — EU register and authorisations. Source ↗
Final responsibility for product compliance rests with the brand owner placing the product on the market.
Want to benchmark a product in your category?
Send us the product and your target market — our formulation and analytical teams will plan the deformulation and the rebuild.
Every Guires PNL product is formulated to comply with the FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines and the AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. Neither body issues certificates to manufacturers, so compliance is verified independently against their published standards — and every product comes with a complete documentation package for regulatory submissions in the EU, US, Australia and Asian markets.
How we verify compliance →