Joint research with Kyungpook National University College of Veterinary Medicine published in Veterinary Microbiology
Avian influenza virus detected in raw pet food, underlining the importance of pet food safety management from a One Health perspective
LIMPID has published findings on the risk of viral contamination in raw pet food in an SCI-indexed international journal, a first for a Korean pet food company.
LIMPID said on November 10 that research conducted with a joint team from Kyungpook National University College of Veterinary Medicine, detecting avian influenza virus in raw pet food distributed in Korea, has been published in the latest issue of the SCI-indexed journal Veterinary Microbiology.
Changtae Kim, LIMPID co-founder and CTO, is first author, with Professors Seulgi Bae and Junghoon Kwon of Kyungpook National University College of Veterinary Medicine as corresponding authors. It is LIMPID's first research published in an international journal.
The team collected and analyzed 62 raw pet food products sold in Korea and detected low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2) virus in two of them. Next-generation sequencing of the complete viral genome confirmed it as identical to the Y280 lineage H9N2 virus that circulated in Korean poultry in 2020.
The detected virus carried 18 mutations associated with mammalian adaptation, meaning transmission to humans as well as to companion animals cannot be ruled out. The finding indicates that pet food safety management matters for public health, not only for animal health.
Veterinary Microbiology, published by Elsevier, is a leading journal in veterinary microbiology that selects original research on animal infectious disease. This is the first time a researcher at a Korean pet food company has published in the journal as first author.
In the bio and pharmaceutical sectors, R&D capability is treated as a core measure of a company's competitiveness, and publication in an SCI-indexed journal means the originality and academic value of the work have been recognized internationally.
LIMPID acquired a HACCP-certified freeze-dried pet food plant in November of the previous year to produce its TrustyFood and Dr.Trusty brands, and has continued investing in R&D, including establishing a pet food clinical testing CRO with Kyungpook National University. This publication is the first visible result of that collaboration.
Heesu Kim, CEO of LIMPID, said, “This is the first study by a Korean pet food company to establish the risk of viral contamination scientifically. We will continue research across animal nutrition, food safety, and functional ingredients to strengthen the scientific foundation of the Korean pet food industry.”