Supplementation of Wheat Gluten Protein

Abstract

Male weanling Wistar rats were fed diets containing wheat gluten (group 1), wheat gluten supplemented with lysine monohydrochloride (group 2), wheat gluten plus casein (group 3), casein (group 4), and egg albumin (group 5) as the dietary protein sources, as well as a diet free of protein (group 6). The nitrogen growth index of 8.6 for the group 1 animals was improved by either method of supplementation to 16.7, values less than the 20.2 and 27.0 for the group 4 and 5 animals, respectively. Liver protein DNA and RNA/DNA ratios increased with both nitrogen intake and nutritive value of the dietary protein except in those animals in group 2. The values for these ratios in animals in groups 1 and 2 were the same. In the muscle, these ratios increased with both type and quantity of dietary protein without exception. In the brain, these parameters were unlatered by quantity or quality of dietary protein. When these cellular parameters were compared at nitrogen intakes producing animals that gained 50 g over the experimental period of 28 days, considerable difference was noted in these quantities as a result of feeding the various proteins even though the animals would have gained the same weight.