Advantage of Radiation-sterilized Diets
Diets/Radiation-sterilized Diets/
Merits of Radiation-sterilized Diets
Radiation-sterilized diets are diets sterilized using cobalt 60 irradiation, which destroys the component proteins of microorganisms present in the diet based on the permeability of γ rays and their ability to degenerate the proteins through ionization.
■Characteristics
- Loss of nutritional elements is minimal, compared with autoclaved sterilization.
- No change in color or agglutination of pellets, unlike after autoclaved sterilization.
- Radiation sterilization is suitable for the diets of animals with strong food preferences (e.g., rabbits).
- Radiation sterilization is suitable for diets that contain heat-labile drugs, etc.
■Quality control
- The irradiation status of the product is confirmed using a Chemical Indicator (C.I.). The color of the C.I. attached to each case of the product changes from yellow to red after irradiation, allowing clients to confirm the irradiation status.
- The designated dose of irradiation is confirmed using a dosimeter.
- The sterilization effect is confirmed by a culture examination of the Biological Indicator (B.I.) attached to each lot of the product.