EFFECT OF AUTOCLAVING UPON THE TOXICITY OF 
COTTONSEED MEAL 1 
By C. T. Dowell, Chemist , and Paul Menaul, Assistant Chemist , Oklahoma Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station 
Withers and Carruth 2 have found that the toxic property of the 
cottonseed is lessened by cooking. Osborne and Mendel 3 show that 
the toxicity of cottonseed meal varies with the time of steaming before 
the seeds are pressed. 
In order to determine the effect of autoclaving upon cottonseed meal 
a series of feeding experiments was carried on with young pigs. A litter 
of four pigs, averaging 28.5 pounds each, was divided into two pens. Pen 
No. I was fed commercial cottonseed meal, the other, No. II, the same 
amount of cottonseed meal that had been autoclaved at 15 pounds for 
20 minutes, in a damp condition, then dried. The daily ration for each 
pen was cottonseed meal one-half pound, darso 1 pound, skimmed milk 
i quart, and alfalfa. This ration was increased in proportion to the 
increase in the weight of the pigs. The ration was fed in such an amount 
that the pigs received 1.33 per cent of their body weight of cottonseed 
meal daily. At the end of three weeks no difference in the two lots 
could be noted, either in condition or in body weight, but from that time 
on the pigs which were fed the commercial cottonseed meal were notice¬ 
ably inferior to those which were fed the autoclaved product. At the 
end of 73 days the average weight of the pigs in pen No. I was 52 pounds, 
or a gain of 23.5 pounds per pig. The pigs in pen No. II averaged 61.5 
pounds per pig, showing a gain of 33 pounds per pig. The cottonseed 
meal was then removed from the diet, but five days afterward one of 
the pigs in pen No. I died and on the tenth day the other died. These 
pigs were examined by Dr. H. W. Orr, of the veterinary department of 
the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Oklahoma, who stated that 
death was due to the effects of the cottonseed meal. None of the pigs 
in pen No. II showed any ill effects from their diet. 
The experiment was repeated, a different cottonseed meal being used. 
A control pen was established which received tankage in place of cotton¬ 
seed meal in the ration. The pen receiving the commercial cottonseed 
meal made an average gain of 20 pounds per pig in 60 days. The pen 
receiving the autoclaved cottonseed meal made an average gain of 25 
pounds per pig, and the control pen also made an average gain of 25 
pounds for each pig. None of the animals in this experiment died, 
although they were continued on the several diets for 90 days. 
1 Accepted for publication June 25, 1923. 
* Withers, W. A., and Carruth, Frank E. gossypol, the toxic substance in cottonseed. In 
Jour. Agr. Research, v. 12, p. 83-102, 3 fig., 1 pi. 1918. Literature cited: p. 100-101. 
-gossypol, the toxic substance in cottonseed meal. In Jour. Agr. Research, v. 5, p. 261-288, 
1915- Literature cited: p. 287-288. 
* In Jour, of Biol. Chem. Vol. 29, p. 289-317. 
Journal of Agricultural Research. Vol. XXVI, No. 1 
Washington, D. C. Oct. 6, 1923 
agr * Key No. Okla.—3 
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