The DOI matches its Crossref record; 11 of the 11 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 40 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Effect of slaughter weight on the bromatological composition and energy value of rats (Rattus norvegicus) and mice (Mus musculus)
Open accessAbstract
Carnivorous animals in captivity are commonly fed whole frozen prey carcasses, primarily rodents. However, there is a significant gap in the current scientific literature regarding the detailed characterization of the nutritional values of these prey, with most previous studies relying on single-size samples. Furthermore, variations in the dietary composition of rodents demonstrate a considerable impact on nutritional parameters, as evidenced by the increased protein levels in individuals fed specific diets. The objective of this study was to assess whether the nutritional values of whole frozen prey carcasses are influenced by size or age at slaughter, as well as the diet of the prey. To this end, we utilized mice (Mus musculus; n = 900) and rats (Rattus norvegicus; n = 1500), categorized by weight, ranging from neonatal stages to adulthood, resulting in 15 categories for rats and nine categories for mice. The body composition of rodents from both species varied significantly with age, enabling the development of a table containing values for moisture, protein, fat, mineral material, calcium, phosphorus, and energy content based on the body weight of the prey.
Overview
CoChat Summary
TL;DR
This study characterized the bromatological composition (moisture, protein, fat, mineral matter, calcium, phosphorus) and gross energy of whole frozen mice (n = 900) and rats (n = 1500) across weight/age categories, producing reference tables for feeding captive carnivores. Body composition changed significantly with age and body weight in both species, with protein, fat, minerals, calcium, phosphorus, and energy generally increasing and moisture decreasing as animals grew.
Key findings
- Calcium differed significantly among rat size categories (H(14, 105) = 111.59; p < 0.05), with lower values in smaller animals (BP3–BP5) and higher values in larger ones (BP15–BP17), but did not differ in mice (F(8, 63) = 0.409; reported as p < 0.05).
- Phosphorus, protein, mineral matter, and energy increased with body size in both species (e.g., rat protein H(14, 105) = 102.52; mouse protein H(8, 63) = 58.308; rat energy H(14, 105) = 102.68; mouse energy F(8, 63) = 131.3; all p < 0.05).
- Fat peaked at intermediate sizes: BP8–BP9 in rats (H(14, 105) = 87.149) and BP9 in mice (H(8, 63) = 63.561), a pattern the authors attribute to concurrent intake of maternal milk and solid feed around weaning.
- Moisture declined with growth in both species (rat H(14, 105) = 98.692; mouse F(8, 63) = 268.89; p < 0.05); in the reported table, rat moisture fell from 83% (BP3) to 66% (BP17) and mouse moisture from 82% (BP1) to 68% (BP9).
Methods
- Animals from a single isogenic BP® lineage were grouped into 15 weight categories for rats (BP3–BP17) and nine for mice (BP1–BP9), from newborns to adults, with four batches of 25 animals per category; study approved by CONCEA 01/2024 and conducted at Biotério Pantanal.
- Animals were stunned (electronarcosis) before euthanasia and rapid freezing, then cut, dried in forced-air ovens at 65–70°C (not exceeding 75°C) for 72 h, ground in a stainless-steel ball mill (30 g per batch), and analyzed for total dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, mineral content, calcium, and phosphorus per Silva & Queiroz (2006); gross energy was estimated from fat (9 kcal/g) and protein (4 kcal/g).
- Statistical comparisons used Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, then one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis (within species) and Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U (between species), at a 5% significance level in R version 4.4.1.
Limitations
- The paper does not include a dedicated limitations section; no limitations are explicitly stated by the authors.
- Evident from the text: although the stated objective includes assessing whether the prey's diet influences nutritional values, no dietary manipulation was performed — all animals received species-specific feed under the same facility conditions, so diet effects were not tested.
- Evident from the text: all animals came from a single isogenic BP® lineage at one facility and no sex was distinguished in the analyses, and the reported statistical results contain inconsistencies (e.g., a non-significant mouse calcium result, F(8, 63) = 0.409, is labeled p < 0.05; the rat BP16/BP17 rows in Table 2 are misaligned).
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Figures
Verification
Claims the paper makes
0 Valid · 2 Not valid · 24 Not checked · 35 Own results and interpretations
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Conversely, moisture content decreases as individuals grow and gain weight (Table 2, Figure 3).”
plainstates a cause- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper states — it cites no source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These groups exhibited a greater fat reserve compared to the other size categories (Table 2).”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Mineral matter content varied according to age, with younger animals showing lower values compared to adults.”
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In mice ( Mus musculus ), however, calcium concentrations did not differ significantly among size categories (F(8, 63)= 0.409; p<0.05) (Figure 1B).”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The body composition of rodents from both species varied significantly with age, enabling the development of a table containing values for moisture, protein, fat, mineral material, calcium, phosphorus, and energy content based on the body weight of the prey.”
- Also stated in: § RESUMO · p. 2 · plain
“A composição corporal dos roedores das duas espécies diferiu significativamente com a idade e permitiu a elaboração de uma tabela com os valores de umidade, proteína, gordura, material mineral, cálcio e fósforo e valor energético em função do peso corporal das presas.”
- Also stated in: § RESUMEN · p. 2 · plain
“La composición corporal de los roedores de ambas especies difirió significativamente con la edad, lo que permitió la elaboración de una tabla con los valores de humedad, proteína, grasa, material mineral, calcio, fósforo y valor energético en función del peso corporal de las presas.”
plainstates an associationn = 1,500- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § RESUMO · p. 2 · plain
7 more claims
Create a free account to see all 61 claims and every source verdict.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 34
- Probably not a substantial claim. 27
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS · p. 10
“In Mus musculus , mineral matter content varied significantly among size categories (F(8, 63) = 237.8; p < 0.05). Smaller animals (BP1BP5) exhibited lower mineral matter levels (p < 0.05), whereas larger animals (BP6-BP9) showed higher concentrations (p < 0.05) (Figure 3A).”
§ 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS · p. 11
“Figure 3. Concentrations of mineral matter and moisture in rodents of different ages and weights. A = mineral matter in rat; B = mineral matter in mice; C = moisture in rat and D = moisture in mice.”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ 2 METODOLOGY · p. 4
“| BP11 | - | 66 to 96g |”
§ 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS · p. 7
“| BP11 | 66 to 95g | 0,6 | 0,5”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS · p. 7
“In mice ( Mus musculus ), however, calcium concentrations did not differ significantly among size categories (F(8, 63)= 0.409; p<0.05) (Figure 1B).”
§ 3.3 DATA ANALYSIS · p. 6
“All analyses in the present study were conducted at a 5% significance level”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ 3.3 DATA ANALYSIS · p. 6
“To assess potential differences in the concentrations of nutritional parameters (calcium, phosphorus, protein, fat, energy, mineral matter, and moisture) among weight categories (BP3 to BP7)”
§ 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS · p. 7
“Lower calcium concentrations were observed in the smaller individuals (BP3-BP5) (p < 0.05), while higher concentrations were found in the larger animals (BP15-BP17) (p < 0.05)”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ 2 METODOLOGY · p. 5
“Based on the bromatological composition, the gross energy (kcal/kg) values were estimated according to the following equation:”
§ 2 METODOLOGY · p. 5
“Gross Energy (kcal/g) Ether Extract (g) ×9 kcal + Protein (g) ×4 kcal +”
Citations
Cites
Rapid upregulation of snake intestine in response to feeding: a new model of intestinal adaptation
Secor, S. M., Stein, E. D., & Diamond, J. (1994) · American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology · doi:10.1152/ajpgi.1994.266.4.g695 · Cited by 188
Energy Budgets in Free‐Living Green Iguanas in a Seasonal Environment
Lichtenbelt, W. D. V. M., Wesselingh, R. A., Vogel, J. T., & Albers, K. B. M. (1993) · Ecology · doi:10.2307/1940486 · Cited by 66
Specific Dynamic Action of a Large Carnivorous Lizard, Varanus albigularis
Secor, S. M., & Phillips, J. A. (1997) · Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A Physiology · doi:10.1016/s0300-9629(96)00412-4 · Cited by 55
Vitamins E and A, and proximate composition of whole mice and rats used as feed
Douglas, T. C., Pennine, M., & Dierenfeld, E. S. (1994) · Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A Physiology · doi:10.1016/0300-9629(94)90401-4 · Cited by 38
Donoghue, S., & McKeown, S. (1999) · Veterinary Clinics of North America Exotic Animal Practice · doi:10.1016/s1094-9194(17)30140-8 · Cited by 30
Food and Energy Use by Captive Coyotes
Litvaitis, J. A., & Mautz, W. W. (1980) · The Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3808350 · Cited by 20
Couto, R. M. P., Santos, V. P. D., & Dias‐Silva, F. (2021) · Actualidades Biológicas · doi:10.17533/udea.acbi.v43n115a01 · Cited by 2
Self-citationSLAUGHTER AND PRE-SLAUGHTER PROTOCOLS FOR RODENTS AND BIRDS USED FOR ANIMAL FEED
Couto, R. M. P., Miguel, M. C., dos Santos, P. S., Polizel, D. M., Filardi, R. D. S., & de Laurentiz, A. C. (2025) · Revista ft · doi:10.69849/revistaft/cl10202505231929
Self-citationBody Composition of the Old-Field Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus)
Kaufman, G. A., & Kaufman, D. W. (1977) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.2307/1379348
Composição centesimal e valor calórico de alimentos de origem animal
TORRES, E. A. F. S., CAMPOS, N. C., DUARTE, M., GARBELOTTI, M. L., PHILIPPI, S. T., & MINAZZI-RODRIGUES, R. S. (2000) · Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos · doi:10.1590/s0101-20612000000200003
Research works printed but not linked: 19
- Bennett AF, Dawson WR. 1976. Metabolism. In Gans C (ed): Biology of the Reptilia, vol 5. New York, Academic Press, 1976,
- Bird, DM., & Ho, SK., 1976. Nutritive values of whole-animal diets for captive birds of prey. Raptor Res , 10 (2), 45-49.
- Couto, RMP.; Miguel, MC.; Branco, AC.; Santos, PS. RHAEBO GUTTATUS (Smoothsided Toad). 2024.. PREDATION ATTEMPT. HERPETOLOGICAL REVIEW. v.55, p.80 - 80.
- Donoghue S, Langenberg J. 1996. Nutrition. In Mader DR (ed): Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Philadelphia, WB Saunders , pp 148-174.
- Figueiredo, JR. 2016. Metabolic adaptations in female mammals during reproduction. Journal of Mammalogy, 97(2), 284-293. DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv178. · DOI
- Fox, J, Weisberg. S. 2019. An {R} Companion to Applied Regression, Third Edition. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage. URL: https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/jfox/Books/Companion
- Frye, FL. 1991. Reptile care: an atlas of diseases and treatments. Neptune City, pp. 633. Gentry, JR. 2012. Body composition and energy balance in pregnant and lactating mammals. Journal of Nutrition, 142(5), 886-890. DOI: 10.3945/jn.111.147793. · doi:10.3945/jn.111.147793
- IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
- Mattison C. 1987. The Care of Reptiles and Amphibians in Captivity, ed 2. London, Blandford Press.
- McKeown S. 1996. General husbandry and management. In Mader DR (ed): Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, pp 9-19
- Morris, MR., Norrie, A., & Sutherland, T. 2021. Metabolic Phosphorylation and Life: Insights from the Regulation of Phosphate in Human Health. Biochemical Society Transactions, 49(5), 2183-2193.
- Rappolee, DA. 1995. Reproduction and lipid metabolism: adaptations to the energetic demands of offspring. Biology of Reproduction, 52(3), 562-569. DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod52.3.562. · doi:10.1095/biolreprod52.3.562
- Rorive, G. 2021. Calcium: A Key Mineral in Animal Health. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 37(2), 273-286. DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2021.03.001. · DOI
- Schmidt-Nielsen K: 1990. Animal Physiology: Adaptation and environment. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.
- Scott, PP. 1968. The special features of nutrition of cats, with observations on wild felidae nutrition in the London zoo. Symp. Zool. Sot. London 21, 21-36.
- Silva, VC. & Couto, RMP. 2021. Mussurana bicolor (Mussurana). Diet. Herpetological Review 52(1).
- Thorne, L. 2000. Energy balance during reproduction in mammals. Reproduction, 119(1), 1-9. DOI: 10.1530/rep.0.1190001. · doi:10.1530/rep.0.1190001
- Waldron, MR. 2019. Calcium and Phosphorus Nutrition in Animals: Implications for the Animal and the Environment. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 248, 40-56. DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2019.03.006. · DOI
- Wickham, H. 2016. ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis. Springer-Verlag, New York. https://ggplot2.tidyverse.org/
Cited by
Couto, R. M. P. (2026) · Revista Multidisciplinar do Nordeste Mineiro · doi:10.66104/aeav1y57
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Couto, R. M. P., Santos, P. S. D., Oliveira, A. E. P. D., Polizel, D. M., Filardi, R. D. S., & Laurentiz, A. C. D.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR)
- Venue
- Brazilian Journal of Development
- Publisher
- Brazilian Journals
- Published
- 2025-11-07
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- e83487
- ISSN
- 2525-8761 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W7128185420
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 0.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Brazilian Journal of Development (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food Nutrient Composition and Product Development
- Keywords
- slaughter weight, captive carnivores, nutritional composition, energy content, body composition, slaughter age, prey diet, rats, mice, bromatological composition, calcium and phosphorus
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-11-14, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-11-14 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
How to cite
Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.
- This page
- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Effect of slaughter weight on the bromatological composition and energy value of rats (Rattus norvegicus) and mice (Mus musculus). https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.34117/bjdv11n11-018
- The paper
- Couto, R. M. P., Santos, P. S. D., Oliveira, A. E. P. D., Polizel, D. M., Filardi, R. D. S., & Laurentiz, A. C. D. (2025). Effect of slaughter weight on the bromatological composition and energy value of rats (Rattus norvegicus) and mice (Mus musculus). Brazilian Journal of Development. https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv11n11-018
Data sources
Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.
