Corn Gluten Meal

Corn gluten meal is the protein part of corn left after most of the starch is removed. Tufts veterinary nutritionists note that corn is rarely confirmed as the cause of food allergy in dogs or cats, and that corn gluten differs from the gluten in wheat. Its protein is low in lysine and has no taurine, so cats need animal protein or added taurine. For a cat with a medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Corn gluten meal is a concentrated plant protein made during corn milling, when the starch and germ are separated out. Manufacturers use it because it raises the protein percentage on the label at low cost. A dry food can show a high protein number while much of that protein comes from corn. AAFCO requires ingredients to be listed from most to least by weight, so a high spot on the list means a large share.

Source: aafco.org

Not the kind people avoid in wheat. The protein in corn is called gluten, but Tufts veterinary nutritionists point out that it is quite different from the protein in wheat and rye. They say even pets with gluten-related problems should have no reason not to tolerate corn gluten. Gluten intolerance itself has not been shown in cats, so the name on the label is mostly a source of confusion.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

It is a protein ingredient more than a filler, but it is a plant protein that cats use less well than meat. Tufts veterinary nutritionists call the cheap filler claim about corn a myth from non-veterinary sources and note that corn starch is 90 to 99% digestible in studies. Corn gluten meal is the protein part of the kernel, and its protein is low in lysine and tryptophan.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Pettings gives corn gluten meal 1 out of 5 and lists it as a plant protein concentrate. It appears on 12 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Foods that contain it average 45 out of 100 on our Ingredients score, compared with 58 for foods without it, though an average reflects the whole food. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.