UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



jrw/^'^'we^ 



1 BULLETIN No. 781 



Contribution from the States Relations Serrice 

 A. C. TRUE, Director 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



May 31, 1919 



DIGESTIBILITY OF SOME BY-PRODUCT OILS/ 



By Abthub D. Holmes, Specialist in Charge of Digestion Experiments, 

 Office of Home Economics. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Previous investigations 1 



Possible recovery and use of by- 

 product oils ; 2 



Digestion experiments with men 3 



Apricot-kernel oil 4 



Page. 



Cherry-kernel oil 6 



Melon-seed oil 8 



Peach-kernel oil 10 



Pumpkin-seed oil 12 



Tomato-seed oil 14 



Discussion 15 



INTRODUCTION. 



In planning the experiments to determine the digestibility of 

 edible fats it was early recognized that in order to be of greatest 

 value the experiments with the different fats should be conducted 

 under as nearly as possible identical conditions. Accordingly, the 

 same experimental methods have been used throughout a series with 

 40 or more edible fats to which the present study is the most recent 

 contribution. These methods were quite fully discussed in the 

 initial report of this series.^ As a result of this uniformity of method, 

 the value reported for the digestibility of any individual fat dis- 

 cussed is directly comparable with the figures obtained for the 



others. 



PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS. 



Papers have appeared from time to time, reporting the digesti- 

 bility of such animal fats ^ as lard ; beef fat ; mutton fat (kidney fat) ; 

 butter ; cream ; chicken, goose, brisket, egg-yolk, and fish fats ; goat's 



^ Prepared under the direction of C. F. Langworthy, Chief, Oifice of Home Economics. 



2 IT. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 310 (1915). 



3U. S. Dept. Agr. Buls. 310 (1915), 507 (1917). 



Note. — This bulletin records studies of the digestibility of apricot-kemel oil, cherry- 

 kernel oil, melon-seed oil, peach-kernel oil, pumpkin-seed oil, and tomato-seed oil. It is 

 primarily of interest to students and investigators of food problems. 

 106003°— .Bull. 781—19 1 



