• It limits the build-up of bacteria on the teeth and gums
• It forms an adhesive layer on the tooth surface, increasing contact time
• It supports reduced inflammation and helps prevent infection from progressing
• It helps reduce odour and protect oral health Studies and a VNF trial support chitosan for pet dental care In a trial in 32 dogs with periodontal disease, a chitosan gel applied to the teeth and gums every day for 14 days showed an effective reduction in bacteria and improvement in periodontal disease (Tingaes, 2022).

Another study in 18 dogs with gingivitis found that a gel containing chitosan improved inflammation after 7 days of use (Silva, 2016). A real-world trial by VNF on a dog (Nâu) also recorded a significant reduction in oral odour after five weeks of using ChitoPalD. ChitoPal-D is available as an applicator gel and an oral care liquid, suitable for regular use as directed. As pet owners increasingly seek gentle, science-backed daily care, the chitosan-based approach of Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) reflects a wider move toward natural oral health solutions in companion-animal care.

Disease pressure and the overuse of antibiotics are placing significant strain on the livestock and aquaculture sector. Heavy reliance on antibiotics raises concerns around resistance, product safety and long-term sustainability, pushing producers to look for alternatives.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approaches this challenge with a biological material rather than conventional antibiotics, aiming to protect animal health while easing the pressure to rely on them. This is the goal behind Nano Chitosan Kito-Super.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) applies nano chitosan to support immunity and control pathogens

Nano Chitosan Kito-Super is built around several functional properties. As a nano chitosan solution, it supports natural resistance and biological control at once:

• Immune stimulation: nano chitosan supports natural resistance, helping reduce disease incidence and improve animals’ ability to adapt to adverse conditions
• Antibacterial and antifungal action: its poly-amino structure carries many positive charges that interact with the surface of microorganisms, helping inhibit many disease-causing bacteria and fungi
• Nano size, fast action: particles of ≤ 300 nm improve dispersion, delivery and biological activity
• Safe and friendly: chitosan is a biocompatible, non-toxic and environmentally friendly biopolymer, in line with the trend toward reducing antibiotic dependence in modern farming

A biological solution across shrimp, fish and livestock farming

Kito-Super is suitable for shrimp, fish and livestock such as pigs, chickens, ducks and cattle. In use, it helps strengthen immunity and resistance, limit the impact of disease-causing bacteria and fungi, support reductions in stress, swelling and inflammation, improve growth and the feed conversion ratio, and raise farming efficiency in a safe, sustainable direction.

By helping producers proactively protect animal health, reduce the pressure to use antibiotics and optimise production efficiency, Nano Chitosan Kito-Super from Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) reflects a wider shift toward biological, antibiotic-reducing solutions in modern livestock and aquaculture.

It traps fat and limits its absorption through the intestine

It supports reductions in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol

It helps limit the adverse effects associated with elevated cholesterol Study results support chitosan for cholesterol control in dogs and cats In a 45-day trial in hyperlipidemic dogs, chitosan reduced triglycerides by 44%, total cholesterol by 40% and LDL-cholesterol by 56%. In hyperlipidemic cats, the corresponding reductions reached 37%, 36% and 63% (Mosallanejad, 2018; Mosallanejad, 2016).

ChitoPal-C comes in powder and capsule forms and is given before meals or mixed into food. The product supports blood-lipid control and does not replace medication, a therapeutic diet or the instructions of a veterinarian. As pet owners increasingly look for safe, long-term nutritional support, the chitosan-based approach of Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) reflects a wider move toward science-backed metabolic health solutions in companion-animal nutrition.

Requirements on quality and heavy-metal content are becoming increasingly strict, creating significant pressure on the imported raw materials that the animal feed industry relies on. Imported squid liquid and squid liver paste, in particular, carry a risk of exceeding permitted heavy-metal limits when the input supply is not consistently controlled.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) sees this as both a compliance and a supply-security problem for feed producers, and has responded by developing a domestic hydrolyzed squid liquid whose quality can be controlled from raw material through to production.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) controls quality from raw material to production

SSH-PLUS hydrolyzed squid liquid delivers a natural squid flavour that stimulates animals to feed and improves their acceptance of feed, while supplying easily digestible protein. Because VNF controls the product from raw material through to production, feed producers gain active control over input quality rather than depending on variable imported supply.

SSH-PLUS is controlled for heavy-metal content to meet current State regulations, with the following low limits:

• Arsenic: ≤ 25 mg/kg
• Lead: ≤ 10 mg/kg
• Cadmium: ≤ 2 mg/kg
• Mercury: ≤ 0.5 mg/kg

A hydrolyzed squid liquid that reduces dependence on imported ingredients

SSH-PLUS is suitable for both aqua feed and animal feed. In use, it helps increase feed attraction and feeding response, improve digestive efficiency, optimise the feed conversion ratio and keep formula quality stable.

By offering a controlled domestic alternative to imported squid liver paste, squid liquid and squid liver powder, SSH-PLUS helps producers reduce their dependence on imported materials. As quality and safety standards continue to tighten across the feed sector, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) positions SSH-PLUS as a way for businesses to secure their own supply, control quality and develop safe, effective feed formulations.

During the farming cycle, uneaten feed, organic waste and accumulated bottom sludge can steadily reduce water quality in a pond. As this material builds up, it can generate toxic gases and create favourable conditions for pathogens, increasing the risk of disease for the stock.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approaches this challenge through biology rather than constant water exchange, treating organic load in the pond as something to be broken down on site instead of flushed out. This is the problem Ecovital EM is designed to address as a biological water treatment for aquaculture.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) applies Bacillus spp. probiotics to break down organic matter

Ecovital EM is a high-quality Bacillus spp. preparation with a density above 10⁹ CFU/L, made up of Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria that are aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, with high stability and easy storage and use. Its diverse microbial system — more than 2,000 species — helps break down organic matter from uneaten feed quickly, reduce bottom sludge and limit the accumulation of waste in the pond.

By decomposing this organic load, Ecovital EM helps lower toxic gases such as NH₃, NO₂ and H₂S and reduces the nutrient supply that pathogens depend on to multiply. VNF reports that the product acts quickly, is safe and effective, carries a competitive cost, and has already been deployed on many ponds in Vietnam, in line with the wider shift toward biological solutions in aquaculture.

A no-water-exchange pangasius model shows higher survival and lower operating costs

Ecovital EM has been applied in a no-water-exchange pangasius farming model in Vietnam. On a pond of roughly 10,000 m² stocking small pangasius from about 20 g, over the first three months, the product was used together with aeration and periodic microbial dosing.

Compared with the traditional water-exchange model, the no-exchange model recorded a survival rate roughly 7–12% higher, lower operating costs from reduced water pumping and exchange, more stable water quality, less bottom-sludge accumulation, and a lower risk of introducing pathogens from external water sources into the pond.

As aquaculture moves toward more sustainable practices, biological water treatment for aquaculture is becoming a practical way to stabilise the pond environment while controlling costs. The Ecovital EM experience of Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) points to a model of safe, sustainable, no-water-exchange farming that other producers across the sector can build on.

Raw, fresh and wet foods are among the hardest products to keep stable. Microorganisms, mould and oxidation act quickly on them, changing colour, smell, taste and texture and shortening the time a product stays usable. For makers of raw and wet pet food, that short and unpredictable shelf life is a constant quality and cost problem, and it often pushes producers toward synthetic preservatives.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approaches the problem from its own raw-material base: Vietnamese shrimp. Instead of treating shrimp heads and shells as waste, the company processes them into chitosan, positioning a by-product stream as the starting point for a natural preservation solution.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) develops shrimp-derived chitosan to preserve pet food naturally

From Vietnamese shrimp by-products, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) produces chitosan, a natural polysaccharide derived from chitin, and develops it specifically as a preservation aid for raw, fresh and wet pet food. Chitosan works through three complementary mechanisms. It is antibacterial, inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and mould. It forms a protective film that limits bacterial penetration and slows spoilage. And it is antioxidant, helping to capture free radicals and hold back the oxidation of components inside the product.

The material is also practical on a production line. VNF notes that its chitosan is naturally sourced, tolerates heat well up to 200°C, and does not significantly affect the flavour of the finished product. It can be mixed directly at a ratio of 0.3–0.6% once the ingredients have been cooked, which makes it straightforward to fit into existing pet-food recipes without a separate processing step.

VNF trials show chitosan extends shelf life while preserving flavour and texture

The clearest evidence comes from VNF‘s own product trials. In a test on sliced pork, chitosan reduced the total count of aerobic microorganisms by 85% and the total yeast and mould count by 88%. In minced meat, the corresponding reductions reached 96% and 87%. In a fresh pâté application, a formulation containing 0.5% chitosan combined with rosemary extract extended shelf life to 14 days while keeping the product’s flavour and texture intact.

Taken together, these results show chitosan doing more than one job at once — lowering microbial load, delaying oxidation and protecting the sensory quality that pet owners judge a product by. For Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF), that combination is the point: one natural, shrimp-derived ingredient that can replace part of the synthetic preservative system in raw and wet pet food.

Interest in natural and biological preservation is growing across the food and pet-food industries as producers look to cut synthetic additives without sacrificing safety or shelf life. By turning shrimp by-products into chitosan, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) links that demand to a circular-economy model — extending the usable life of products, maintaining quality and reducing dependence on synthetic additives. It is an example of how a Vietnamese shrimp processor can move up the value chain, turning what was once waste into a functional ingredient with applications well beyond a single product.

Everyday factors — stress, too little exercise, advancing age and long-running health problems — can push the oxidation process in a pet’s body higher than normal. When free radicals form in excess, cells become vulnerable to damage, the body weakens more quickly, and pets face a higher risk of premature aging. For many owners these changes are hard to spot until they appear as a dull coat, low energy or slower recovery.

Recognising this gap in everyday pet care, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approached the problem through its core expertise in shrimp-derived ingredients, where naturally occurring antioxidants can be recovered and put to practical use in a natural astaxanthin for pets.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) turns shrimp-derived astaxanthin into AstaPal

AstaPal contains natural astaxanthin sourced from shrimp — a carotenoid singled out for its exceptional antioxidant strength. Thanks to its particular molecular structure, astaxanthin can help neutralise singlet oxygen and free radicals, protect cell membranes, and limit the damage caused by oxidative stress. VNF describes three complementary modes of support in AstaPal: neutralising singlet oxygen and free radicals to help slow oxidation; protecting cells to help limit damage in the brain, eyes, skin, joints and other organs; and supporting overall health by helping maintain energy, focus and vitality.

The antioxidant case for natural astaxanthin is backed by published research. An in vitro study reported that natural astaxanthin was a far stronger antioxidant than several common compounds — roughly 6,000 times that of vitamin C, about 800 times CoQ10, around 560 times EGCG, about 500 times vitamin E, and roughly 50 times synthetic astaxanthin (Capelli, Bagchi & Cysewski, 2013). For Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF), that evidence underlines why a shrimp-derived, natural source of astaxanthin sits at the heart of AstaPal.

Field use across Vietnamese vet clinics points to everyday value

Beyond the laboratory, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) has used and monitored AstaPal on more than 90 pets across over 20 breeds of dogs and cats, working alongside more than 20 veterinary clinics in Vietnam. The product has been observed in healthy animals as well as pets that were off their food, recovering from injury, or dealing with coat and skin, eye or respiratory concerns. Extracted from shrimp and dosed simply by dropping it directly onto daily food, AstaPal is designed to fit into an ordinary feeding routine rather than a clinical one.

Interest in antioxidants such as astaxanthin is growing as pet owners look for preventive, science-informed nutrition rather than reactive treatment. By recovering a high-value carotenoid from shrimp and channelling it into AstaPal, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) connects its circular-economy work in shrimp by-products to a fast-expanding pet-care market — a reminder that natural astaxanthin for pets can be both a wellness ingredient and an example of turning marine by-products into everyday value.