Dried Alfalfa

Alfalfa is grown as forage, mainly for livestock. Pet food uses the same harvested leaves and stems. Dehydration removes water, and milling turns the crop into a storable ingredient for mixing into kibble.^4,5

1. 01 // Source Alfalfa crop The aboveground leaves and stems are harvested; roots are left out.
2. 02 // Process Wilted and chopped The cut forage loses some water in the field before transport to a drying plant.
3. 03 // Process Heat dried A drum dryer removes more water, leaving a forage that stores and ships without spoiling.
4. 04 // Process Ground or pelleted The dried plant is milled into meal, which may also be pressed into pellets.
5. 05 // Output Dried alfalfa Meal or pellets arrive at the feed mill ready to be weighed into a recipe.

1. 01

   Adds forage fiber

   Ground leaves and stems increase a recipe's fiber share while adding little starch. They give formulators a way to adjust stool bulk, though an alfalfa-specific firmness benefit is unproven.^1,3

2. 02

   Contributes plant protein

   Alfalfa protein counts in the food's crude protein figure. Its larger fiber share makes it a poor substitute for a concentrated protein ingredient.³

3. 03

   Draws on forage supply

   Alfalfa is widely grown for livestock feed, and dehydration plants already turn it into meal or pellets. That gives formulators a storable crop ingredient without extraction.⁴

How much A 12-dog diet used 1.5% dehydrated meal in a blend; a 10-dog study used 5 or 10% leaves with equal citrus pulp.^1,2

1. Brands say

   Alfalfa contributes plant protein to kibble

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Feedipedia reports an average of 18.3% crude protein on a dry basis. That protein counts in a food's analysis, but alfalfa contains more fiber, and the ingredient list does not reveal how much protein it supplied.^3,8

2. Brands say

   Alfalfa is a prebiotic that improves gut health

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 12-dog trial, a garbanzo-bean diet with no alfalfa had higher short-chain fatty acids than the alfalfa-containing GBPP blend, and alpha and beta diversity did not differ between the two diets. The data gives no alfalfa-attributable benefit at all.¹

3. Brands say

   Alfalfa vitamin K improves clotting and bones

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   FDA notes alfalfa as a historic source of a vitamin K substance but says bioavailability from plant sources is poorly understood. A 10-dog alfalfa and citrus study measured only mineral digestion. The cited studies did not test alfalfa meal for clotting or bone outcomes.^2,6

4. Brands say

   Alfalfa fiber keeps stools firm

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 12-dog trial, 1.5% alfalfa sat inside a fiber and probiotic blend. Stool scores did not change. The trial neither isolated alfalfa nor showed that it made stools firmer.¹