Published in the Latest Issue of the International Journal "Veterinary Microbiology"
Limpid, a bio pet food startup, announced on November 14 that it has published research results in an SCI-level international academic journal, identifying the risk of viral contamination in raw pet food for the first time in the domestic pet food industry.
Limpid, together with a joint research team from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kyungpook National University, published findings in the latest issue of the SCI-level international journal Veterinary Microbiology, reporting the detection of avian influenza virus in raw pet food products distributed in Korea.
This study marks Limpid's first research achievement published in an international academic journal. Limpid co-founder and CTO Kim Changtae served as the first author, while Professors Bae Seulgi and Kwon Junghoon from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kyungpook National University participated as corresponding authors.
Research paper by Limpid published in the latest issue of the international academic journal Veterinary Microbiology. Limpid
The research team collected and analyzed 62 raw pet food products distributed in Korea and detected low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2) virus in two of them. Through next-generation sequencing (NGS), the entire viral genome was decoded and found to be identical to the Y280 lineage H9N2 virus that was prevalent among domestic poultry in 2020.
Notably, 18 mutations related to mammalian adaptation were identified in the detected virus, indicating that the possibility of transmission to humans, as well as to companion animals, cannot be ruled out. Limpid explained that this underscores the importance of pet food safety management not only for animal health but also as a public health issue.
The journal is a leading publication in the field of veterinary microbiology published by Elsevier, and this marks the first time that a research team from a Korean pet food company has published as the first author in this journal. In particular, publication in an SCI-level international journal signifies that the originality and academic value of the research have been recognized internationally.
To produce its brands "Trustyfood" and "Dr. Trusty," Limpid established a production infrastructure by acquiring a HACCP-certified freeze-dried pet food factory in November last year. The company has also continued its investment in research and development (R&D), including establishing a pet food clinical trial CRO in partnership with Kyungpook National University. This research achievement is considered the first tangible result of such industry-academia collaboration.
Limpid CEO Kim Heesoo stated, "This is a meaningful study that scientifically identified the risk of viral contamination for the first time among Korean pet food companies. We will continue to lead the scientific foundation of the Korean pet food industry by conducting research in various fields such as companion animal nutrition, food safety, and functional ingredient development."
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