Abstract
The amount of phosphorus in rice, though large in comparison with that of calcium, is not enough for the normal growth of rats and calcification of their bone. Moreover, the greater part of phosphorus in rice is phytin form of low digestibility. The authors have investigated the effect of supplement of protein and vitamin D to the rice diet on the availability of phosphorus in rice by rats.
The experiments provide an evidence that the addition of egg white to the rice diet greatly enhanced the phosphorus utilization as that of vitamin D. The phytase of small intestine has been activated by the supplement of egg white as well as vitamin D to the diet. The effect of egg white and vitamin D is cumulative. In contrast to the effect of egg white the addition of phosphate decreased the phytase activity.
