DIGESTIBILITY OF SOME SEED OILS. 17 



Summary of digestion experiments loith charlock oil in a simple mixed diet. 



Experi- 

 ment 

 No. 



Subject. 



Protein. 



Fat. 



Carbohy- 

 drates. 



Ash. 



641 



A. J ... 



Per cent. 

 74.5 

 78.1 

 78.2 

 65.1 



Per cent. 

 93.7 

 94.3 

 96.3 

 94.1 



Per cent. 

 97.1 

 97.5 

 96.3 

 95.9 



Per cent 

 52 9 



642 



P. K 



68.2 



643 



J. C. M 



68.0 



644 



A. A. R 



61.6 











74.0 



94.6 



96.7 



62.7 









Because of its pronounced odor the charlock oil was not completely- 

 masked by the caramel and vanilla used in the cornstarch blancmange 

 in which it was incorporated. Doubtless for this reason the amounts 

 of charlock oil eaten were small, being only 60 grams per man per 

 day on an average. Notwithstanding its odor the subjects reported 

 no unusual effects as a result of the experimental diet and it may be 

 assumed that unrefined charlock oil in amounts not exceeding 60 

 grams daily was well tolerated. An odorless refined oil would un- 

 doubtedly have been much more acceptable. 



As a whole the diet supplied 30 grams of protein, 60 grams of fat 

 (of which 58 grams was charlock oil), and 399 grams of carbohy- 

 drates and a fuel value of 2,255 calories. 



The average values obtained for the digestibility of the protein, fat, 

 and carbohydrates supplied by the total diet were 74 per cent, 

 94.6 per cent, and 96.7 per cent, respectively. Making allowance for 

 the undigested fat resulting from the basal ration and for the meta- 

 bolic products, the value 94.6 per cent for the digestibility of the 

 total fat of the diet becomes 98.9 per cent for the digestibility of 

 charlock oil alone, which would seem to indicate that this oil was 

 very well assimilated by the body. 



SUMMARY. 



The investigations on the digestibility of the seed oils here re- 

 ported include seven experiments each with com and soy-bean oils 

 and four experiments each with sunflower-seed, Japanese mustard- 

 seed, rapeseed, and charlock-seed oils. In each case the oils were 

 incorporated in a cornstarch blancmange and eaten in conjunction 

 with a uniform basal ration which supplied 2 per cent of the total 

 fat eaten. As a result of the uniformity of the experimental methods 

 followed, the values obtained for the different oils permit of direct 

 comparison with one another and with the values obtained for the 

 digestibility of the animal and vegetable fats previously reported. 



During the test period in which the oils under consideration con- 

 stituted practically the entire source of fat, the subjects ate on an 



