UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
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Contribution from the States Relation Service 
A. C. TRUE, Director. 
Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER 
««F BULLETIN No. 507 
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March 24, 1917 
STUDIES ON THE DIGESTIBILITY OF SOME 
ANIMAL FATS. 
By C. F. Langworthy, Chief, and A. D. Holmes, Scientific Assistant, Office of Home 
Economics. 
Introduction 
Experimental methods . 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Page. 
Digestion experiments— Chicken fat, goose 
fat, brisket fat, cream, and fat in egg yolk 
and in fish 4 
Summary 18 
INTRODUCTION. 
Previous papers x reported the results of experiments undertaken 
to determine the thoroughness of digestion of lard, beef fat, mutton 
fat, butter, olive oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, sesame 
oil, and cocoa butter, which showed that fairly large quantities of 
these fats incorporated in a simple mixed diet could be eaten without 
digestive disturbances and that all were well digested, the coefficient 
of digestibility being proportional to the melting point of the fat. 
In continuation of the study of animal and vegetable fats and their 
dietetic uses, this bulletin reports a study of the digestibility of 
chicken fat, goose fat, brisket fat, cream, fat in egg yolk, and fat 
or oil in fish. 
Fats are so very similar in their chemical nature that it is natural 
to assume that they would not differ materially with respect to their 
food value (of which digestibility is an important factor) under 
comparable conditions. While race experience would indicate that 
this is true in the main, there is reason to believe that the question 
of the digestibility of fats and the closely related matter of the 
energy which they supply to the body merit further study. That 
the digestion of different sorts is not alike in all its steps is indicated 
i U. S. Dept. Agr. Buls. 310 (1915); 505 (1917). 
Note.— This bulletin records studies of the digestibility of chicken fat, goose fat, brisket fat, cream, fat 
in egg yolk, and fat or oil in fish. It is primarily of interest to students and investigators of food problems. 
70239°— Bull. 507—17 1 
