Digestibility of Some Animal and Vegetable Fats

Abstract

The true digestive coefficients of several animal and vegetable fats were determined by experiments with young male albino rats. Each fat was incorporated in an otherwise adequate diet in the proportions of 5 and 15% by weight, corresponding to 12.5 and 32.7% of the total energy values of the diets. When the diets contained 5% of fat, the following digestive coefficients were obtained: coconut oil 98.9, soybean oil 98.5, corn oil 97.5, butterfat 88.3, mutton tallow 74.6, oleo stock 74, and cacao butter 63.3%. When the diets contained 15% of fat, the digestive coefficients were as follows: soybean oil 98.3, corn oil 98.3, coconut oil 96.5, butterfat 90.7, oleo stock 86.7, mutton tallow 84.8, and cacao butter 81.6%. There was no consistent relationship between the melting points of the fats and their digestive coefficients.