Hello, I want to administer a powdered prebiotic into pelleted mouse chow, and I wanted to see if anyone has a protocol or advice for that. I've read papers where researchers smash powdered inulin into mouse chow, but I'm not sure exactly how to do this.
I am working with high-fat chow from research diets and it is currently in pellet form. One issue is that the food containers I have detailed in my IACUC proposal are suspended at the top of the cage, and I'm worried about "smashed" chow falling on the cage floor. I don't want to use oral gavage. I know that research diets could mix my prebiotic into chow for me, but with my experiment design that is not optimal.
Would dissolving the prebiotic in water --> mixing with pelleted chow in a mixer/bender work? Would the chow get moldy from that if I were to let it dry out completely after I'm done mixing?
Another option might be: dissolving the probiotic in oil and spray that on the pellets chow.
To ensure the homogeneity of the mixed chow that allows proportional dosing to all the animals, I think the best way is to contact chow laboratory suppliers. They often offer this service.