title: Effect of protein quality on weight and composition of the carcass in pregnant and non pregnant rats.
abstract: The effect of diets with different protein qualities on net weight and on the composition of the carcass (the animal being skinned and gutted) were studied in pregnant and non-pregnant rats of the Wistar breed. The animals were fed with diets containing the following protein sources: casein + 5% DL-methionine, beans and a mix of beans and wheat, all with a protein level of 14%. Percentage weight gains in the carcass were in all cases greater in non-gestating animals than in gestating animals. The water content of the body was similar in all the groups tested. The quality of protein did not affect nitrogen content; however, a smaller proportion of nitrogen was observed in gestating animals than in non-gestating animals. With respect to fat content of the carcass, a greater quantity of fat was observed in the bodies of gestating rats than in non-gestating rats, which was only significant in the case of the bean-wheat mix diet. Within each group of gestating and non-gestating rats, there was a greater quantity of fat in those animals fed with casein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Verdú
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López Frias
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mataix
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects*; D002364:Caseins / Q000032:analysis; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000032:analysis; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014908:Triticum / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D014867:Water; D009584:Nitrogen