Effects of Spirulina on serum lipid components and glucose tolerance in rats were studied.Experiment diets were prepared with 20% Spirulina water-soluble fraction (SS), with 20% Spirulina waterinsoluble fraction (SI) or with 18% casein (CN). Each group of 8 male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with SS, SI and CN diets for 4 weeks in individual cages. Fasting serum glucose levels were measured on the 7th and 28th days, and glucose tolerance on the 28th day. The nitrogen balance was also examined during the last 3 days. Total-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in serum were measured on the 28th day when the rats were sacrificed. No effect was observed on either growth or feed efficiency among all groups. The highest ratio of HDL-cholesterol to other cholesterols and the low fasting serum glucose levels were observed in the SS group. In the glucose tolerance test, the elevation of glucose seemed to be more suppressed in the SI group than in the SS group.
This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of amylomaize starch on the growth of weanling rats.Analysis of the X-ray diffraction patterns of both amylomaize VII starch (amylose contents 64.7%) and V starch (amylose contents 46.6%) proved them to belong to the B-type of crystalline structure according to the classification by KATZ.In the in vitro digestibility with extract of rat small intestine, assayed for 24 hour incubation period respectively. These digestibilities were considerably lower than either 92.3% of raw normal corn starch or 91.7% of raw waxy corn starch, but they were slightly higher than 13.1% of raw potato starch. In the animal experiment, the amylomaize starch VII (78% level) gave poor growth and induced diarrhea throughout the test period. Moreover, they produced the enlargement of cecum and decrease of depot fat. The body weight gain ratio, feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio, obtained in rats fed amylomaize starch, were greatly inferior to those in rats fed normal corn or waxy corn starch. Also, the distribution of fatty acids in the liver lipid or the retroperitoneal depot fat of rats fed amylomaize starch was slightly different from those of rats fed the normal ones. The amylomaize starch granules which had been refined by immersing in 85% methanol for 2 days at room temperature, resulted in no significant difference from raw amylomaize starch upon growth rates of rats. This treated amylomaize starch was found to have apparent in vivo digestibility of 73.6%, and this digestibility was slightly higher than that of raw amylomaize starch (67.3%), but it could not be reached to 99.8% given by a raw normal corn starch.
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