Two new formulations were derived: AIN-93G for growth, pregnancy, and lactation; and AIN-93M for adult maintenance
Some major differences in the new formulation of AIN-93G compared with AIN-76A are as follows: 7 grams soybean oil/100 grams diet was substituted for 5 grams corn oil/100 grams diet to increase the amount of linolenic acid; corn-starch was substituted for sucrose; the amount of phosphorus was reduced to help eliminate the problem of kidney calcification in female rats; L-cystine was substituted for DL-methionine as the amino acid supplement for casein, known to be deficient in the sulfur amino acids; manganese concentration was lowered to one fifth the amount in the old diet; the amounts of Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and Vitamin B12 were increased; and molybdenum, silicon, fluoride, nickel, boron, lithium, and vanadium were added to the mineral mix
For the AIN-93M maintenance diet, the amount of fat was lowered to 40 g/kg diet from 70 g/kg diet, and the amount of casein to 140 g/kg from 200 g/kg in the AIN-93G diet
Because of a better balance of essential nutrients, the AIN-93 diets may prove to be a better choice than AIN-93A for long-term as well as short-term studies with laboratory rodents