Experiments on the Comparative Nutritive Value of Butter and Vegetable Fats

Abstract

Experiments have been described dealing with the relative nutritive value of butterfat and vegetable fats. Comparisons at 4 different fat levels have been made between butterfat and corn oil incorporated into lactose-containing diets fed to weanling rats. Growth on the butter rations increased with increasing fat level. Growth on the corn oil rations showed the same tendency but not to a significant degree. Only at the higher fat levels was there evidence to indicate that butter promoted weight gains superior to those obtained with corn oil. Supplementation of the butter diet with linoleate had no effect. A comparison between the growths of rats fed summer or winter butter at three different fat levels showed no differences at any level over an 18-week period. Comparisons were made between butterfat, margarine fat and corn oil incorporated into sucrose rations containing 28% fat. Butterfat and margarine fat were found to promote significantly better growth of weanling rats than corn oil but only during the first three weeks of the experiment and when sulfathalidine was included in the ration.