Processing Matters in Nutrient-Matched Laboratory Diets for Mice—Energy and Nutrient Digestibility

Starch gelatinization is a major determinant of carbohydrate digestibility and varies with diet processing. Laboratory rodent diets are often marketed as identical, but sold in different forms, regardless the markedly higher starch extruded than pelleted diets. Our hypothesis was that this would impact energy nutrient mice fed pellets or extrudate, respectively. Trial 1 showed feeding C57BL/6 standard maintenance form results significantly organic matter, energy, carbohydrates identical form. The replication experiment, however, revealed variation between batches same regarding total dietary fiber contents. Given significant differences potential impacts on utilization, intestinal microbiome, intermediary metabolism, trials performed differently processed not comparable. This might partly explain failures to reproduce results, especially gastrointestinal microbiome research. Considering experimental animals, degree should be declared information for laboratory animal observed acceptable.