Amino Acid Balance and Imbalance

Abstract

Evidence has been obtained suggesting that wheat gluten is so poorly balanced in amino acids that the lysine requirement of the rat for maximum growth is increased when this protein is the sole source of lysine in the diet. An analogy has been drawn between this effect and those observed as a result of amino acid imbalances. Little change in the moisture and fat content but increased deposition of protein occurred in the carcasses of rats fed on diets containing higher levels of wheat gluten. The digestibility of the proteins in wheat gluten was about 95% and this was unaffected by the level of wheat gluten in the diet over the range of 30 to 70%. An effect of the appreciable amount of lipid in wheat gluten on the requirement of the growing rat for lysine has been demonstrated.