Effect of Feeding Rats on Gamma Irradiated Flour Infected with Tribolium Confusum
October 2020
in “
International journal of radiation research
”
TLDR Feeding rats gamma-irradiated flour with pests affects the pests and does not significantly harm the rats.
In 2020, a study was conducted to examine the effects of feeding rats on gamma-irradiated flour infected with Tribolium confusum. The flour was infested with 70 or 100 T. confusum adults per 25g and stored for 6 and 12 weeks. The results showed that flour irradiation disturbed the production and physiology of T. confusum adults. Additionally, rats fed on bread made from this infested flour showed a significant decline in weight and alterations in biochemical aspects, which were more pronounced in those fed on irradiated flour infected with T. confusum. There was also a disturbance in the complete blood picture of the rats, and pathological damages were observed in their liver sections. The study concluded that irradiation of flour can disturb the physiological process in T. confusum, serving as a good preservation tool, and does not significantly affect the rats.
