Did you know that the flesh of a blueberry or cranberry is actually ivory white? It’s only their skin that contains the natural dye that gives them their color. Only when the pericarp (or outer layer) of a fruit is punctured or bruised do the colorful pigments rapidly seep into the fruit below. The impressive purplish pigment that gives berries their vibrant hue is known as anthocyanin, and its color choice is rather intentional. 

The colors of anthocyanins are designed to filter out yellow-green wavelengths of light from the sun. Since most plants get energy by absorbing light using a green pigment known as chlorophyll, they cannot make good use of green-colored light (if you remember from science class, something is green because it reflects that color instead of absorbing it). While the sun is required for growth, taking in too much sunlight of the wrong color is wasteful and harmful, and this is where pigments like anthocyanin come in. A host of different color varieties of anthocyanins are possible depending on factors like how acidic the fruit is or the way that the sunlight refracts through the atmosphere, yielding all the different hues of berries that we see and enjoy. It almost seems like our attraction to the color could be part of the plan, too. You’d be right to suggest that! Another important role of pigments like anthocyanins is to provide high color contrast to animal passersby, making them an attractive treat that will help the fruit disperse its seed. 

So how do these pigments benefit your canine companion, especially in large amounts when in fruit-based extracts? By their nature, anthocyanins are positively charged in a unique way that allows them to absorb light. At the same time, this chemical property gives them the ability to donate their positive charge to neutralize certain free radicals if they encounter them (learn more about defeating dangerous free radicals in our dedicated section, the ABC’s of natural compounds). Because of this, taking a consistent dosage of concentrated anthocyanin can be incredibly helpful to clean up specific free radicals that are commonly making trouble in organs like the eyes and nervous system. In fact, blueberry keeps your dog healthy by protecting the brain from free radical damage and stabilizing sleep cycles, helping senior dogs maintain memory, cognitive function, and optimal health deep into their later years. Blueberries are also a very popular choice for vegan dog food options.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are tough, hardy plants that take special offense to being munched by insects and herbivores. Their distinctive flavor actually comes from a protective mechanism made up of special sulfur compounds called glucosinolates. These neat molecules lie dormant in fleshy stalks and florets, waiting for the inevitable predator to come and take a bite. Following tissue damage from even a tiny nibble, a specific enzyme that is stored inside of cells comes bursting out. This enzyme meets with the glucosinolates and activates them into a completely different kind of chemical. The most important one (at least the one scientists know the most about), is a powerful compound called sulforaphane, which has been shown to greatly benefit puppies and senior dogs alike.

The idea is that insects and predators are highly likely to bring diseases to plants, much like the mosquito can bring all sorts of trouble to humans. Because of this risk, glucosinolates are produced to help the plant reduce any chance of a bite compromising their immune system. They also don’t taste that great to bugs and four-legged invaders, doubling as a deterrent to stop those predators from trying another bite. Once activated, sulforaphane and its buddies help the plant’s innate immune system neutralize and defend against any dangerous pathogens. They also send helpful messages to cells to make sure they’re ready for any trouble coming their way. 

So what does sulforaphane do for your dog's diet? Sulforaphane works in very similar mechanisms in plants as it does in mammals, offering an amazing suite of benefits to create a strong immune system in the defense against pathogens and microbes (no bites required). It helps dogs with age related immunity issues and also helps the average dog's system wide immunity, just in case. Found in highest concentrations within broccoli sprouts (along with other great compounds like alpha lipoic acid), sulforaphane and broccoli sprout extracts are making their way into modern animal health regimens that are changing dog's adult years for the better.

The sweet sticky sap of the maple tree is nothing compared to the viscous resin that seeps from the knotted trunks of Boswellia! Used in Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani traditional medicine practices, the glue-like oils harvested from the Boswellia plant are dried into a powder by a more recognizable name, frankincense. Nowadays, frankincense is proving to be a perfect complement to traditional hip and joint ingredients for dogs as the dry resin is very effective at reducing occasional joint pain. So what is this resin, why do boswellia plants make it, and how does it help your dog’s hip and joint health? 

Plants like the Boswellia tree survive in a high heat environment where there are lots of animal grazers foraging for food. In an effort to fight off the heat they produce special essential oils that are packed with volatile terpenes. Though thick and viscous inside of the plant, these terpenes evaporate at high temperatures and quickly leave, producing airflows that can cool a plant while preventing it from losing water. As the temperature rises, tiny bodies inside of plant cells present more and more terpenes to compensate for the heat. 

Impressively, the same compounds have evolved to help in plant based wound healing, as the become released upon cuts and holes from predators. Due to their viscous nature, they act almost like a glue to seal and heal plant tissue. It turns out these compounds work wonders in mammals, and pet owners have found boswellia as a great complement to classical supplements like glucosamine to support bone structure and joint mobility. It's not just skeletal structure on boswellia's resume; recent medical research also shows boswellia can be great for your dog's digestion, too.

One delicious ingredient that we love at Austin and Kat is cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon in particular is a Sri Lankan type of cinnamon with a lot of scientific support and a milder taste that dogs absolutely love. The powerful antioxidants in cinnamon extracts can help improve joint health, support active muscles, and normalize system wide inflammation for those with health issues.

So, how and why? Cinnamon spice and the extracts that come from it actually come from the paper-thin bark of the tree of the Ceylon tree, which produces several aromatic active ingredients like cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid. Since the bark is thin and easy to 'invade', these oils are an adaptation by cinnamon trees to fight off infections from fungi. They contain powerful antioxidants that can neutralize dangerous compounds from pathogens, and it turns out those same antioxidants offer many benefits to dogs.

The oils in cinnamon are also a good source of vitamin E, beta carotene, and omega fatty acids, which collectively support thyroid health, brain function, the immune system, and maintaining healthy skin. There is strong evidence to suggest it helps those with heart disease by maintaining healthy blood vessels, too.

Like the taste of pepper? Mammals generally do, but insects certainly don't - that's the evolutionary purpose of the alkaloid compounds found in the fruit of black pepper plants; they'll keep your dog happy but bugs sad! Pepper plants make compounds like piperine that are very pungent and designed to invade the sensory organs of insects (they specialize in crossing cell membranes, bringing that annoying burning sensation to critters that are trying to munch them). It turns out this 'system delivery technology' backed by piperine can be used in combination with many different supplement compounds, helping them gain entry into cells and delivering more bioactive and bioavailable nutrients. This makes compounds in black pepper an incredible natural boost to your dog's defenses.

Did you know that black pepper fruit is a distant cousin to hemp and cannabis? Scientists recently discovered that black pepper fruit contains terpenes and endo-cannabinoids that are similar to CBD. Recent studies have shown black pepper activates a mammalian antioxidant with the science-heavy name of superoxide dismutase. It turns out together they can improve a dog's cardiovascular system and help support long-term health against heart disease.