Diet is an important research tool when studying laboratory animals. It affects the ability of laboratory animals to fulfill their genetic potential for growth, reproduction, and longevity, as well as their ability to respond to pathogens and other environmental stresses. In addition, a nutritionally balanced diet is important for the welfare of laboratory animals and to ensure that experimental results are not biased by unexpected nutritional factors.
There are several types of diets available for use with laboratory animals, including natural ingredient diets and purified and chemically defined diets. Diets formulated with agricultural products and by-products, such as whole grains, mill by-products, high-protein diets, mined or processed mineral sources, and other livestock feed ingredients are often referred to as natural ingredient diets. Diets formulated with more refined and stringent ingredients are called purified and chemically defined diets. In addition to differences in the degree of refinement, diets for laboratory animals can be available in different physical forms. The most common form used for small laboratory rodent animals is pelleted feed, which is usually formed by adding water to a mixture of ground ingredients and passing it through a mold. Extruded diets are similar to pellet diets, although extruded diets are less dense than pellet diets, and some laboratory animals, such as dogs, cats, and non-human primates, prefer extruded diets. Powdered diets are generally used to allow additives and test compounds to be added after the diet has been manufactured. It is also common to add gelling agents and water to the powdered diets to form jelly that can be cut into pieces for feeding. Gel diets require refrigeration to discourage microbial growth and must be fed daily or more frequently to maintain moisture content and food intake. Fluid diets have been developed to meet specific requirements such as filter sterilization. Fluid diets can be used when studying the effects he effects of alcohol abuse and dependence in animals. In addition, neonatal animals are fed fluid diets derived mainly from dairy products.
The choice of appropriate diet type will depend on the amount of control required over nutrients, the need to add test substances, the potential influence of feed microorganisms, and the acceptability of the diet to the animal. Amerigo Scientific offers standard diets to support studies that do not require specific nutritional changes and are formulated to be suitable for a wide range of research areas to help promote the reproduction, growth, and maintenance of laboratory animals. We also offer modeling feed for laboratory animals to improve nutritional levels, explore the effects of specific vitamins, or induce obesity or other diseases.
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