Black Bean
1 food contains this ingredient
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About Black Bean
Black bean is a legume seed (pulse) added to pet food to supply slow-fermenting carbohydrate, fiber, and plant protein alongside animal ingredients.
Black bean is a plant-based ingredient used in pet foods mainly as a source of carbohydrate, soluble and insoluble fiber, and supplemental plant protein, and it contributes micronutrients such as folate, iron and potassium while adding bulk and texture to formulas. Proper cooking or processing is important to reduce anti-nutrients (like lectins and phytates) and improve digestibility; black beans can help with satiety and gut health in dogs but provide lower-quality protein for obligate carnivores like cats and may cause gas in some pets, so they are typically used as a complementary ingredient rather than a primary protein source.
Related ingredients
- Derived from
- Seed of Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), black-seeded variety
- Primary role
- Carbohydrate, fiber, and plant protein source; formula bulking agent
Why it's used
Formulators use black beans to add fermentable and non-fermentable fiber and moderate-quality plant protein to a recipe, which can help stretch or diversify the protein and carbohydrate blend in grain-free and legume-forward diets. Because legumes ferment slowly in the colon compared to some other carbohydrate sources, they are often chosen for their gradual release of fermentation end products rather than a quick fiber effect.
Common concerns
- FDA grain-free DCM inquiry The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine investigated reports of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating diets with a high proportion of peas, lentils, and other legume seeds (pulses, the category black beans belong to), logging 524 reports covering 560 dogs and 14 cats between January 2014 and April 2019, though no causal mechanism was established and the agency later closed public updates without a definitive conclusion.
- Raffinose family oligosaccharides and gas Black beans are relatively rich in raffinose-family sugars (raffinose, stachyose, verbascose) that mammalian digestive enzymes cannot break down, so they pass to the colon where bacterial fermentation produces gas, a mechanism documented in peer-reviewed food science literature and consistent with anecdotal flatulence reports in legume-fed dogs.
- Slow, variable fermentation in the colon In vitro fermentation testing using canine fecal inoculum found black bean grits ferment more slowly than some other carbohydrate sources, with the largest shifts in gas and short-chain fatty acid production only appearing after 9 to 12 hours, meaning effects on stool and gut fermentation may build gradually rather than show up immediately after a diet change.
Also relevant
Reducing raffinose-family oligosaccharides and lectins through soaking, dehulling, or heat processing before inclusion in kibble is a documented way manufacturers lower the gas-forming and anti-nutrient load of beans.
5 sources cited
- FDA grain-free/legume DCM investigation details and report counts
- FDA investigation overview naming peas, lentils, and other legume seeds (pulses)
- Raffinose family oligosaccharides in beans and their fermentation into gas
- In vitro canine fecal fermentation of black bean grits versus other legumes, gas and SCFA kinetics
- Cooked navy bean (comparable legume) inclusion, digestibility, and fecal microbiome tolerance in dogs
Common Questions
What category is Black Bean?
Black Bean is categorized as a vegetable ingredient in the KibbleLab database.
Is Black Bean part of an allergen group?
Yes. Black Bean is grouped under the Legumes allergen group in the KibbleLab database.
Which foods contain Black Bean?
1 food in the KibbleLab database contain Black Bean, including PetKind.
Foods with Black Bean
Alphabetical by brand. Scores run 0 to 10, higher is better, on published veterinary science.
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