April 27-29, 2026

All Speakers

Dog and cat food research experts who will present at Petfood Forum & Petfood Essentials

Ravi Sheth
Co-founder and Chief Science Officer
Kingdom
Ravi Sheth, Ph.D., is co-founder and chief scientific officer at Kingdom, a leading supplier of clinically validated postbiotics for pet brands. Kingdom has received US$30 million in venture funding from leading firms including Y-Combinator, as well as competitive research funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency. Sheth received his Ph.D. as an NSF and Hertz fellow at Columbia University, and his work on genomics tools to understand the ecology of microbiomes has been published in top scientific journals. He also spent time at the Gates Foundation advancing new microbiome directed interventions to combat malnutrition.
Date/TimeTitle
Tue Apr 28
3:10 PM - 4:15 PM
Pet nutrition and ingredient research: 3:10-4:15 p.m.
KCCC Room 2505
  • Nutrition for senior pets: What do we really know?

Emma Bermingham, Ph.D., founder and head consultant, Ember Pet Nutrition, explores research on the nutritional needs of aging cats and dogs, highlighting critical gaps in current knowledge and guidelines. Cats show physiological changes beginning at 8 years, while dogs’ aging varies by size; yet no explicit nutritional guidelines exist for senior animals despite some pets living into their 30s. Many age-associated conditions such as cognitive decline and immune function decline respond to nutritional interventions in experimental settings, suggesting aging pets have specific nutrient requirements. Bermingham identifies urgent knowledge gaps and proposes key nutrients for developing improved nutritional guidelines for senior pet diets.

  • How the microbiome-immune axis benefits multiple pet health areas that matter most to pet owners 

Ravi Sheth, Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer, Kingdom, explains how supporting the microbiome-immune axis simultaneously impacts multiple pet health areas including skin health, digestive wellness, weight management and behavioral health — all ranked by pet owners as top concerns. He examines emerging science behind the microbiome-immune axis in pets and how it links to various biological processes throughout the body, then highlights real-world case studies on various industry ingredients, products and clinical literature, demonstrating how impacting the microbiome-immune axis translates into quantifiable pet health benefits.

  • The power of postbiotics: Strain selection, efficacy and applications for pet health

Lindsay Sumners, Ph.D., director of creation, design and development for pet and animal well-being, ADM, covers postbiotics as novel pet food ingredients offering microbiome benefits without the stability challenges associated with probiotics. She dives into the science behind microbial strain selection, clinical efficacy testing and stability validation in finished pet food formats, highlighting three case examples regarding development of postbiotics to support metabolic health, oral care and gut health in pets. Species-specific clinical research and application science studies demonstrate how certain postbiotic strains retain functionality through manufacturing processes such as baking, thermal extrusion and retort processing, making them suitable for multiple pet food and treat formats.