DIGESTIBILITY OF OILS AND FATS. . 7 



true for the two other subjects, both of whom ate the experimental 

 diet for three days. The coefficient of digestibility, 91.2 per cent, 

 obtained in the one complete test is somewhat lower than is 

 usual with oils liquid at body temperature, but the data are too 

 limited to be taken as conclusive. All that can fairly be said on the 

 basis of the work here reported is that tea-seed oil appeared to be 

 well tolerated and over 90 per cent digested. 



WATERMELON-SEED OIL. 



Watermelon-seed oil is at present made only for experimental 

 purposes, but its possible economic and commercial importance is 

 suggested by the fact that another cucurbit fat previously studied, 

 pumpkin-seed oil, is well known as a food product. It was there- 

 fore included in the present series of tests. 



Watermelon-seed oil is easily expressed from the seed which, ac- 

 cording to Lewkowitsch ^- will yield 40.8 per cent. It is light brown 

 in color and pleasing in flavor. That used in the experiments here 

 reported w^as obtained through the courtesy of F. Rabak, of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. The quantity available was limited and 

 so the amount supplied per day to the subjects was less than usual 

 in such experiments. 



Tests were made with three subjects. The results are summarized 

 in Table 4. 



Table 4. — Summary of digestion experiments with ivatermelon-seed oil in a 



simple mixed diet. 





Subject. 



Digestibility of entire ration. 



Digesti- 

 bility of 



Experiment No. 



Protein. 



Fat. 



Carbo- 

 hydrate. 



Ash. 



water- 

 melon- 

 seed oil 

 alone. 



999 



J. F.C 



Per cent. 

 66.9 

 41.6 

 62.2 



Per cent. 

 89.4 



88. .5 

 94.2 



Per cent. 

 98.6 

 97.0 

 98.0 



Per cent. 

 53.7 

 29.7 



27.8 



Per cent. 

 92.5 



1001 



G. S. M 



93.9 



1002 



W. O'C. ... 



97.9 









Average 



56.9 



90.7 



97.9 1 :?7. 1 



94.8 













The total food consumed per man per day supplied on an average 

 9 grams of protein, 32 grams of fat of which nearly 30 grams were 

 watermelon-seed oil, and 215 grams of carbohydrate, and its fuel 

 value averaged 1,190 calories. No special physiological effects were 

 noted and the coefficient of digestibility, 94.8 per cent, was rela- 

 tively high. In general it can be said that watermelon-seed oil re- 

 sembles the two other cucurbit-seed oils previously studied, canta- 

 loup and pumpkin-seed oils, both of which had a coefficient of diges- 



^* Chemical Technology and Analysis of Oils, Fats, and Waxes. 1909, 4. ed., vol. 2, 

 p. 126. 



