As the number of households with pets has increased worldwide, there is a growing trend of accepting pets as family members. Consequently, the pet food market has seen the emergence of concepts such as “human-grade,” “raw (PMR and BARF),” and “no synthetic additives” pet food. These concepts not only fulfill essential nutrients but also consider the health and habits of pets, a crucial aspect that should be at the forefront of our work. However, these types of pet food are prone to microbial contamination and component alterations caused by heat. Current studies and products have recently been developed overseas to apply non-thermal sterilization technologies to pet food commonly used in the food industry. In contrast, the domestic standards for non-thermal sterilization in pet food are insufficient. Therefore, a comprehensive review of non-thermal sterilization technologies, such as high-pressure processing (HPP), radiation, and plasma predominantly applied in the international pet food market, is deemed necessary. This review is expected to provide guidelines for non-thermal sterilization standards in domestic pet food, thereby laying the foundation for the safe production of raw pet food.

The global pet market is continuously growing as the number of single-person households increases along with the preponderance of the nuclear family, so pet-related industries are steadily growing. In addition, the market related to the health of companion animals is also increasing significantly. Regarding the health of companion animals, it is reported that the incidence of adult diseases, like humans, is growing mainly due to activities in indoor environments and the lack of exercise due to the lack of time for companion animals. This paper studies the antioxidant properties of Jerusalem Artichoke extract, which can be used as a raw material for functional foods related to adult diseases in companion animals by using substances extracted from Jerusalem Artichokes grown by the first author. Samples to be tested were extracted from hot water extraction and ethanol extraction methods according to conditions. To confirm the antioxidant properties, absorbance analysis, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis, polyphenol measurement, flavonoid measurement, and radical scavenging ability measurement by DPPH were performed to determine whether the raw materials applied in this paper could be used. It was confirmed that Jerusalem Artichoke extract is a suitable additive raw material for functional pet food.