Apr. 12, 1924 
Toxicity of Cottonseed and Its Gossypol Content 
175 
Table III .—Composition of diets 
Diet 
Ingredients 
Composition 
Cotton¬ 
seed 
kernels 
Peanut 
meal 
Ether- 
ex¬ 
tracted 
cotton¬ 
seed 
kernels 
Butter- 
fat. 
Refined 
oil ° 
Milk 
powder 
Gossy¬ 
pol 
Pro¬ 
tein b 
Fat b 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Peanut I c _ __ ___ 
40.0 
25.0 
20.0 
0.0 
22.8 
34.6 
Peanut II «...__ 
40.0 
25. 0 
20.0 
.0 
23.3 
34.6 
Ether-extracted cottonseed 
kernels Ia c __ 
35.0 
30.0 
20.0 
.0 
21.0 
35.5 
Ether-extracted cottonseed 
kernels lb c . .. 
38.0 
25.0 
2.0 
20.0 
.0 
22.0 
32.5 
Ether-extracted cottonseed 
kernels II c __ 
33.6 
17.0 
14.4 
20.0 
.0 
20.0 
36.9 
Gossypol (0.0675) c _ 
40.0 
25.0 
20.0 
.065 
1 23.3 
1 
Gossypol (0.1350) c __ 
40.0 
25.0 
20.0 
. 135 
l to 
> 34.6 
Gossypol (0.2250) c .. 
40.0 
25.0 
20.0 
. 225 
j 22.8 
) 
Trice (15) *_ 
15.0 
30.0 
20.0 
20.0 
.062 
24.0 
32.9 
Lone Star (13) c __.. 
13.0 
31.0 
21.0 
20.0 
.067 
23.7 
34 0 
Durango (7.5) e ___ 
7.5 
36.5 
21.0 
20.0 
.074 
23.8 
33.2 
Egyptian (6) c .. 
6.0 
37.0 
22.0 
20.0 
.071 
23.4 
33.5 
Trice (30)__ 
30.0 
20.0 
15.0 
20.0 
. 123 
24.7 
31.2 
Lone Star (26) e __ 
26.0 
20.0 
19.0 
20.0 
. 135 
23.3 
35.3 
Durango (15) c __ __. 
15.0 
30.0 
20.0 
20.0 
. 148 
22.8 
34.5 
Egyptian (12)«__ 
12.0 
32.0 
21.0 
20.0 
. 142 
22.7 
34.2 
Trice (54.6)4_ 
54.6 
6.7 
13.7 
20.0 
.224 
27.3 
35.7 
Lone Star (42.2) e ... 
42.2 
18.9 
13.7 
.2 
20.0 
.218 
28.5 
37.8 
Durango (26.2)«__ 
26.2 
31.3 
13.7 
3.8 
20.0 
.257 
26. 4 ‘ 
36.5 
Egyptian (19.2)«__ 
19.2 
36. 5 
13.7 
5.6 
20.0 
.227 
26.7 
35.6 
a Refined but not deodorized cottonseed oil made in the Oil, Fat, and Wax Laboratory of the Bureau of 
Chemistry. 
b The factor 5.5, used for calculating the protein of peanut meal and of cottonseed, is sufficiently accurate 
for these experiments. Commercial samples of whole milk powder have been assumed to contain approxi¬ 
mately 25 per cent of protein and 27.5 per cent of fat. 
« Corn starch (9 per cent), agar-agar (3 per cent), and salt mixture IV (3 per cent) (Osborne and Mendel, 
7, p. 374) were supplied in these diets. 
d This diet was not used, as the supply of seed became exhausted. 
« These diets contained 2 per cent of corn starch and 3 per cent of salt mixture IV. No agar-agar was 
added. 
Since gossypol is not evenly distributed in the seeds, but is found in the “ gland 
dots” of the kernels (10), it seemed advisable to subject the kernels intended 
for feeding to a treatment which would uniformly distribute the gossypol through 
them. Accordingly, the kernels were ground and mixed with peanut meal. 
The mixture of peanut meal and finely ground kernels was then treated with 
ether. After having been warmed sufficiently, with constant stirring, the ether 
was evaporated on the steam bath, and the resulting dry lumpy meal was 
sifted and exposed for 18 hours to the atmosphere in thin layers on a dry glass 
plate. No odor of ether was apparent, and the food made from the meal was as 
acceptable to animals as that containing comparable quantities of gossypol. 
METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION 
Methods of administering the cottonseed kernels have been described. In the 
experiments in which free gossypol was added to the diet, it was incorporated in 
the butter fat used in the preparation of the diet. Possibly the gossypol entered 
into combination with some one of the substances present in butter, for in the 
more concentrated butter-fat solutions used in another series of experiments the 
gossypol crystallized out. It is not known whether or not gossypol is loosely 
combined with an organic acid in the cottonseed. In several feeding and intra- 
peritoneal injection experiments, however, no difference in toxicity between 
gossypol and gossypol acetate was observed. It is therefore reasonable to con- 
