Please note:  In addition to the products listed in “Product List”, we also can produce any and every custom diet with formula presently or previously available from any manufacturer. So, if you require a specialty diet, please contact us, we may be able to accomodate your request.

The guide of custom diets for laboratory animals

I. Custom formula diet and custom standard diet

      We know that our products listed may not completely meet researchers’ demand when their innovation or test requires for application of the diet standard in other countries or organizations, and for special model diet or other species of animals not listed here. In fact, this is not problematic because we have a team of leading nutritionists and experts who consult with you and formulate diets for you specific areas of study. That is, we can also adjust the amount and source of any nutrients or ingredients to achieve any variation of the diets as necessary for your specific needs.

II. Addition of test compounds into diet

      We recognize that adding test compounds into standard or experimental diets is an effective, accurate, and convenient means of dosing your animals for research purposes. With precision and consistency, we can homogeneously blend in virtually any nutrient, compound, or drug. In addition to powder form, we produce the diet other any form such as traditional pellets or current more precise tablets, at a lower temperature (below 30°C, or up to 50°C) than traditional pelleting because of the design and development by our experts in diet processing systems. The pelleting at the lower temperature is most important to prevent or avoid the possible decomposition or reduced activity of the test compounds added in the diet mixtures.

      As you know, of course, we are not be allowed to add toxins, mutagens, carcinogens, controlled dangerous substances, radioactive substances, or live organisms (bacteria, viruses, etc.)

III. Diet types

      Laboratory animal diets basically fall into three categories: cereal based diet (also called chows, nonpurified diet), (semi-)purified diets, and chemically defined diets. As you know, there are advantages and limitations of the various types of them. However, we do not suggest researcher to prefer the cereal based type for custom formula except when it is required for diet research, application of some special experimental models or some species of animals whose satisfactory purified diets have not as yet been established.

IV. Diet forms

      Diets for laboratory animals can be provided in different physical forms: powder, pellet, and liquid. The most common form in use for laboratory animals is the pelleted diet because diets in this form are easy to handle, store, and use; reduce dust in animal facilities; and tend to minimize wastage. It is not easy, however, to add test compounds or otherwise alter pelleted diets after manufacture. Diets in powder form are sometimes used because they permit incorporation of additives and test compounds after the diet has been manufactured. These diets are often inefficient, however, because large amounts may be wasted unless specially designed feeders are available. Also, powder meals cake under certain storage conditions. An additional problem is that dust generated from the feed may be hazardous if toxic compounds have been added. Liquid diets are often used in studies of the effects of alcohol on nutrient utilization and requirements. Generally, both the powder and liquid forms are not be used for laboratory animals because of adverse affects of both forms on dental and digestive functions during long-term feeding.

      Thus, the physical form of the diet should be specified when researchers provide any custom formula or requirement of custom experimental diets, and when physical hardness of pellet diet is required for research in dental or digestive function fields.

V. Open formula and close formula

      The diet formula includes “open formula” and “close formula”. “Open formula” indicates that the precise percent age composition of each ingredient is available to the investigator either in the published scientific literature or in readily available commercial information. An open formula diet must always be assembled exactly as specified, i.e., no changes in type or amount of ingredients are permitted. A “closed formula” diet is one in which the commercial manufacturer does not disclose the exact composition by type and amount of each ingredient. Proximate analyses of closed formula diets should not lead the user to believe that the combination of ingredients may not change with conditions in the marketplace. It is recommended that an open formula diet be used to minimize variability in response that can be introduced when the ingredients, or their proportions, are altered as may occur unknowingly in closed formula diets.

      Our company produces any and every custom diet formula presently or previously available from any manufacturer except close formula made by other international companies because of the reasons for their business protection and the limited value of the close formula in research.