Consistency of laboratory animal food following incubation prior to autoclaving.

In this study the conventional autoclaving technique was modified by incubating the food overnight prior to autoclaving. This treatment resulted in a markedly improved consistency of the food pellets, comparable with that of untreated food. The modified autoclaved food did not adhere to the walls of feeders or clog the transport passage. Furthermore, the losses in thermolabile vitamins resulting from this treatment were the same as those resulting from conventional autoclaving.