Resources

Product Standards

Nutrition 

A well-balanced diet, along with plenty of clean, fresh water, is essential for proper animal health. 

Storage/Shelf Life 

Storage conditions as well as dietary characteristics affect the nutrient stability of laboratory animal diets. Such non-dietary factors include, but may not be limited to, lighting, oxygen, temperature and moisture. Antioxidants and fat in diet formulations can also affect the overall stability.  

Measurements

Each nutritional component has a specified unit of measurement.

• NUTRITION

  A well-balanced diet, along with plenty of clean, fresh water, is essential for proper animal health. TestDiet^® manufactures an extensive line of animal diets for research purposes, each carefully formulated to accommodate the nutritional requirements of laboratory animals. These requirements, the major components of food, are briefly described to provide an overview of basic animal nutrition.

  Good Nutrition is Vital.

  Good nutrition, including all of the essentials discussed here, is the only way to ensure the proper growth, reproduction, maintenance and overall health of the animals you depend upon for reliable research results.

  Energy
  Carbohydrates
  Fats
  Fiber 
  Minerals
  Protein
  Vitamins
  Water

  • Energy

    Test The most common sources of energy for laboratory animals are fats and carbohydrates. Energy is also derived from protein, but to a lesser extent. The unit of energy is expressed in terms of heat units (calories). A calorie is defined as the amount of heat required to raise one gram of water 1°C. The unit of energy commonly used in expressing the energy content of food is kcal, or kilocalories.

    There are four ways of specifying energy:

    Gross energy (GE) is the energy of complete combustion measured as determined using bomb calorimetry.

    Digestible energy (DE) is equal to the GE minus the energy remaining in fecal matter.

    Metabolizable energy (ME) equals the GE minus the energy lost in fecal matter, urine, and combustible gases. We report ME with two procedures. Physiological fuel values are an estimate of ME and are calculated by assigning 4 kcal/gm of ME for protein, 4 kcal/gm for carbohydrates, and 9 kcal/gm for fat in the diet. A value is also given for ME based upon actual analyzed values for each species.

    Net energy (NE) is the energy remaining for production after deducting from GE energy lost in the feces, urine, combustible gases, and body heat losses.

  • Water

    Test Regular amounts of clean, pure water are an absolute must if life is to be sustained. Water makes up more than one-half of the total composition of the mature animal's body and is involved in almost every metabolic process. Blood, the medium by which nutrients are carried to various parts of the body, is approximately 80% water. Water serves as an efficient solvent in cells where the major biochemical processes of digestion, assimilation, metabolism and respiration occur. Water is necessary for the regulation of body temperature and is valuable in the elimination of waste from the body.

    Without proper water intake, tissues dehydrate and digestion, along with other metabolic processes, is severely altered. The body's cells, which derive their oxygen from the bloodstream, are starved as the blood becomes concentrated. If just one-tenth of the body's water is lost, death will result.

• STORAGE & SHELF LIFE

  Storage conditions as well as dietary characteristics affect the nutrient stability of laboratory animal diets. Such non-dietary factors include, but may not be limited to, lighting, oxygen, temperature and moisture. Antioxidants and fat in diet formulations can also affect the overall stability. Our extensive data prove that the manufacturers’ warranty of LabDiet® products can be extended beyond the recommendations in the Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals by storing products under climate-controlled conditions. Irradiation can also extend the stability of a diet preventing growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds. Extension of your diet usage by controlled storage varies depending on the type of diet. The recommended shelf life based on proved product stability data for our LabDiet® and TestDiet® products is provided below. Click here for a quick-reference table along with a detailed description of each category of our products.

• MEASUREMENTS

  Each nutritional component has a specified unit of measurement. When the notation "ppm" is used, the component is being measured in parts per million. Parts per million is also sometimes referred to as milligrams per kilogram, or mg/kg. Some components are measured in micrograms per kilogram, or mcg/kg or ug/kg. Micrograms per kilogram is equivalent to the notation "ppb" or parts per billion.

  In some cases the old values for nutritional components have been changed. To prepare for this revision, information was obtained from a number of sources (including the National Research Council, personal conversations with prominent researchers in the field and others) and was then compiled for your quick reference.

  When data on a particular nutrient was scarce or unavailable, the ingredients were assayed. Our computer system was then updated, using this information, and recalculated the chemical composition of all of our products. The reported figure on the nutritional composition of the diets is determined by calculating the level of each nutrient contributed by each of the ingredients using a computer matrix. These values are checked occasionally by an analytical laboratory. As a result, the information in this revised version is the most accurate, and current available.