10 



BULLETIN 781, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Swmmary of digestion experiments with cantaloup- seed oil in a simple mixed 



diet. 





Subject. 



Digestibility of entire ration. 



Estimated 

 digesti- 

 bilitv of 



cantaloup- 

 seed oil 

 alone. 



Experiment No. 



Protein. 



Fat. 



Carbo- 

 hydrate. 



Ash. 



891 



G. S. M 



Per cent. 

 74.6 

 75.4 

 66.5 



Per cent. 

 97.7 

 94.5 

 92.1 



Per cent. 

 97.5 

 98.0 

 97.5 



Per cent. 

 85.7 

 71.5 

 66.9 



Per cent. 

 100.0 



892 



M. L. M 



97.8 



893 



W. O'C 



96.7 









Average 



72.2 



94.8 



97.7 



74.7 



98.2 









The value 98.2 per cent obtained for the digestibility of the can- 

 taloup-seed oil alone indicates that this oil is very completely di- 

 gested. An average of 15 grams of protein, 41 grams of fat, and 

 326 grams of carbohydrate, which supplied 1,730 calories, was eaten 

 per man daily, of which 72 per cent of the protein, 95 per cent of the 

 fat, and 98 per cent of the carbohydrate was digested, showing that 

 the cantaloup-seed oil did not exert any unfavorable influence on the 

 digestibility of the diet as a whole. The cantaloup-seed-oil blanc- 

 mange was as palatable as the similar dishes prepared with other 

 oils. It should be noted, however, that because of the limited amount 

 of cantaloup-seed oil available for experimental purposes, the actual 

 amount of blancmange eaten daily by the subjects was considerably 

 less than in most of the experiments reported in this investigation. 



The experiments here reported may, nevertheless, be considered as 

 evidence that good quality cold-pressed cantaloup -seed oil is very 

 satisfactory for edible purposes. 



PEACH-KERNEL OIL. 



The peach-kernel oil which was studied in the experiments reported 

 below was expressed under laboratory conditions. A liberal supply 

 of peach stones was obtained from a large eastern fruit-canning 

 establishment. The peach stones were shipped as soon as removed 

 from the fruit, in the moist condition, and when they arrived at the 

 laboratory they had commenced to ferment. The stones were imme- 

 diately cracked by hand and the kernels carefully separated. These 

 were slowly but thoroughly dried, after which they were finely 

 ground with an ordinary meat chopper. The ground kernels were 

 subjected to hydraulic pressure and an oil of a clear pale-yellow 

 color with an agreeable nutlike taste, resembling in physical appear- 

 ance highly refined cottonseed oil, was obtained. The oil was prac- 

 tically free from sediment and received no treatment, other than 

 filtering, before it was used. 



