Cracked CelloVet? We're working tirelessly to address it.

June 18, 2018

Dear customer,

I wanted to take the opportunity to firstly thank you for your previous purchase of CelloVet cellophane and your support of this company and our products. It is however, with regret, that we have been informed by several recent clients of the CelloVet cracking after steam sterilization (autoclaving). 

I myself, have been testing all batches of CelloVet via autoclaving in several different hospitals at different time/temperature profiles and have yet to have any personal problems with cracking using the following settings:
1) Pre-vacuum cycle
2) 132 C (270 F) for 3 minutes with approximately 25 minute drying time

I have uploaded a recent video to YouTube  (https://youtu.be/ojPk66VFWRM) to show you my results using the above settings. These have been repeatable in  different hospitals using 3 different brands and models of autoclaves.

Please note that alternative to steam sterilization, good results have been reported with Ethylene Oxide gas sterilization.

I suspect the cracking is due to a combination of things such as:
1) Age of the cellophane - all batches are approaching their manufacturer's shelf life expectancy. Our cellophane is pure and uncoated, and like most plant fibers, degrade with time. We are working on several solutions to this detailed below.
2) Humidity - all batches are kept in airtight, light reflective bags with dessicants since their delivery from the manufacturer. It is possible that when approaching the end of the shelf life (~12 months), the cellophane has had all its moisture removed, leading to cracking when autoclaved.
3) Autoclaving profiles - gravity displacement and low temp/long 'cook' times seem to be particularly predisposed to cracking.

So, what are we doing about it?
1) We have ordered new stock from the manufacturer which we will ship out to you at no cost AS LONG AS you email us back to let us know you need replacement stock. Please be patient for your new stock, as it is currently scheduled to arrive at our warehouse mid-late July 2018. You should anticipate replacements to arrive early to mid-August.
2) We are investing in new cellophane based products which are more temperature and moisture resistant (reportedly upwards of 300C!). We will be testing this new product in the next few months, and should it be as good as we hope, we will pivot away from our "original" formula to the new one. 
3) We have invested in new packaging with food-grade freshness seals, moisture and light control
4) We are going to reduce the shelf-life back to 6 months from date of manufacture to help improve freshness of the product.

I apologize again for the frustration and inconsistency in our product at this time, but with your honest feedback we can only improve. 

Thank you for your understanding, patience and help.

Sincerely,

Dr Tim Preston BVSc (Hons), MVetSurg, MVetClinStud, DACVS-SA
CEO and small animal surgeon


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