(1) The basal ration used in the feeding experiments consisted of 27% Meat protein, 70% Butter and 3% McCollum salt mixture. (As the source of vitamin B, 0.2g. of dry yeast was given per day per rat.) Male albino rats were fed with 4.2g. of the basal ration and 1.25g. of different kinds of carbohydrates and other substances to be tested. Observing the rate of growth of the animals, the nutritive value of the samples were compared.
(2) The order of the nutritive value of the substances tested is as follows: As to Polysaccharide and Disaccharide, Maltose is most effective, followed by Starch, Dextrin, Lactose, Saccharose, Inulin, Glycogen and Funkan, and Konjak is far inferior to them and Agar-Agar is entirely invalid.
About Monosaccharides, Fructose and Glucose are most effective as well as Starch and Galactose, Mannose, Arabinose and Xylose come next, and Dioxyacetone and α-Methylglucoside are least effective; Glucosamine is noxious at the amount of 1.25g. As to the effectiveness of Alcohols, Ethylalcohol seems to be most nutritive one and Glycerin follows it ranking with Starch, while Mannite is far inferior to the latter. Ethyleneglycol is poisonous, when fed with the amount of 1.25g. of it.
As to the Acids, the nutritive value of Gluconic acid, Saccharic acid and Alanine is half of Glucose and Mucic acid, Glyceric acid and Phenylalanine are noxious at the amount of 1.25g.
(3) Pentoses i.e., Arabinose and Xylose are found to be nutrive under our experimental condition.
(4) At the end of the feeding period, the urine of the animals was tested for reducing substances with Benedict's reagent and with the urine of Lactose, Galactose, Mannose, α-Methylglucoside, Glucosamine, Arabinose, Xylose and Dioxyacetone positive results were obtained.
The relatively low assimilability of these carbohydrates may be regarded as a cause of their low nutritive value. In spite of its low assimilability, Lactose was much effective on the growth of the animals, especially in the early part of the feeding period.
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