Products › Irradiated Standard Diets

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Harlan Teklad is committed to meeting the needs of research institutions that use irradiated diets. Industry demand for these products has steadily increased as biosecurity remains important and the advantages and convenience of using irradiated diets versus autoclaved diets has gained greater recognition.

Irradiation Defined - Irradiation describes the process where a substance is exposed to a source of radiation. In the case of our diet products, the source is the radioisotope cobalt-60, which emits gamma electromagnetic radiation. As the gamma radiation permeates the product, organisms living in the diet, such as bacteria and viruses, are damaged at the molecular level, often with lethal effects. The net result is a substantial reduction in the bio-burden of the product.

Quality Assurance - Our diet products are irradiated by an independent company that specializes in irradiation. The facility where Harlan Teklad diets are processed has been audited and approved by our quality assurance team. Harlan Teklad irradiated diets are guaranteed to receive a minimum dose of 2 Mrads and a maximum dose of 5 Mrads. A certificate of irradiation is provided with every shipment of product that is processed. All products to be irradiated are labeled with a chemical process indicator that changes color from yellow to red upon exposure to radiation. This allows both Harlan Teklad and our customers to distinguish irradiated product from non-irradiated product by inspecting the packaging.

Advantages of Irradiated Diets and Bedding

• Losses of vitamins or amino acids are significantly lower than losses during autoclaving.
• No diet clumping or increased pellet hardness versus considerable clumping and a significant increase in pellet hardness with autoclaving.
• Valuable time and labor normally devoted to operating and maintaining the autoclave are made available for other functions by using irradiated diets.
• Standardized and more controlled method of reducing bioburden versus autoclaving (there can be variation in autoclaves and their operation).

Diets

• Standard packaging is a 10 or 15 kg capsac. This is a 4 ml plastic bag contained within the normal 3-ply exterior paper package.
• Vacuum packaging in 2.3 kg (5 lbs) pouches is also available. The diet is first placed into a white paper bag and then placed into a polycarbonate bag which is heat-sealed after a vacuum has been applied.

Product Numbers - Most standard diets can be irradiated. In order to differentiate irradiated diet from the nonirradiated product, the second numeral in the product number of the diet is changed to a “9.” For example, diet 2018 is 2918 after it has been irradiated. Although the product numbers differ slightly, the formulas are identical except for the addition of 0.1 percent of the mold inhibitor calcium propionate. Irradiated diets are packaged in heat-sealed polycarbonate bags that have a greater tendency to mold due to the lack of air exchange between the diet and the surrounding environment. However, the nutrient composition remains unchanged and the technical data sheet for 2018 is applicable for diet 2918. For each irradiated diet listed below by product number and description the applicable technical data sheet is provided.