Sage Extract

Herb processors dry and mill sage leaves, then use a solvent or pressurized carbon dioxide to recover selected compounds. Removing the liquid concentrates them for use as a food additive.^1,2,3

1. 01 // Source Dried sage leaves Processors start with dried leaves of common culinary sage and mill them before extraction.
2. 02 // Process Compounds extracted Ethanol and water recover rosmarinic acid; pressurized carbon dioxide recovers carnosic acid and carnosol.
3. 03 // Process Liquid removed Plant solids are separated from the liquid, which is then removed to concentrate the recovered compounds.
4. 04 // Output Sage extract The concentrated preparation reaches the food maker with a composition shaped by its extraction method.

1. 01

   Slows fat oxidation

   Sage compounds interrupt reactions that make fats stale. In a poultry pâté experiment, extract reduced measured lipid oxidation during storage. Dry dog food was not tested.¹

2. 02

   Adds herbal flavor

   The FDA lists sage as a flavoring agent for human food. That supports its flavoring role, but does not show whether dogs prefer food containing sage extract.⁵

3. 03

   Treats a whole batch

   A poultry pâté experiment used 2 g of concentrated extract per kilogram of food. At that scale it serves as an additive, not a meaningful nutrient source.¹

How much A preservation experiment used 2 g/kg in poultry pâté; it did not determine an inclusion amount for dog food.¹

1. Brands say

   Sage extract keeps fats from going stale

   Evidence

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

   In a controlled poultry pâté experiment, extract reduced measured lipid oxidation by 32% after 28 days. That supports a food preservation role, though the experiment did not test dry dog food or its shelf life.¹

2. Brands say

   Sage extract protects your dog's cells

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   Laboratory carbon dioxide extracts quenched radicals in a chemical assay. That shows activity outside the body, not absorption or a health effect in dogs eating food with sage extract.²

3. Brands say

   Sage extract kills harmful bacteria in the gut

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   A dried sage extract inhibited tested bacteria in laboratory broth at 1 mg/mL. The test did not feed dogs or show that sage extract reaches an effective concentration in their gut.³

4. Critics say

   Sage extract is just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   A preservation experiment used 2 g/kg of extract and measured less fat oxidation. That is a technical job, not an attempt to bulk up the food. A label does not reveal the actual dose.^1,4