The Amino Acid Adequacy of Milo (Grain Sorghum) for the Growth of Rats

Abstract

Weanling male rats were used to study the effects of supplementing milo with amino acids. The addition of 0.5% of L-lysine and 0.2% of DL-threonine to the basal ration produced growth approximately equal to that obtained with a purified diet containing 11% of casein, but inferior to that obtained with a 21% casein purified diet. The addition of 0.2 or 0.3% of DL-isoleucine, 0.05 or 0.10% of DL-methionine, 0.1% of DL-tryptophan or 0.2% of DL-valine had no effect on growth rate in any of the combinations used. The liver fat content of rats receiving the basal ration was significantly reduced by the addition of 0.5% of L-lysine and 0.2% of DL-threonine. Lysine and threonine are probably the most limiting amino acids in milo for growth.