Nutritional Improvement of White Flour with Protein and Amino Acid Supplements

Abstract

Rate of growth of young rats was increased from 3 to 21 gm/wk when their diet, containing 78% of white flour was supplemented with 0.5% of L-lysine and 0.4% of DL-threonine. Further improvement in growth was obtained only when 7 more essential amino acids were added. Although lysine was limiting for growth, liver fat did not accumulate when the diet contained 78% of white flour. However, fatty infiltration, which occurred when the flour was fed at a 5.4% protein level, was prevented by a lysine supplement. Maximum growth was obtained when intact protein formed part of the supplements but growth was not as rapid when the protein was replaced by equivalent quantities of crystalline essential and non-essential amino acids.