166
GROWTH PROMOTING VALUE OF OILS AND FATS
[Vol. XX, Part III
There were also no differences in the ability of the mother to rear her young
ones. This is true not only in the first generation but also in second and third
generations in case of vanaspati groups.
DISCUSSION
Though some fats induced poor growth in female rats, they were found to be
quite adequate for growth in male rats. It is seen from the results that none of the
fats induced poor growth in male and female rats consistently throughout the 3
generations. If all the results are compiled together, it can be said in general that
there are practically no differences in the growth promoting values of different fats
when fed to rats at 5 per cent level in synthetic diet adequately supplied with
vitamins A and B complex. Contrary to the findings of Basu and Nath [1946],
mustard oil and coconut oil induced better growth in rats. This might be due to
the nature of the carbohydrate used which was starch in their experiments while
we had used a mixture of cane sugar and skim milk powder. The differences in
the gains in weight caused by different fats were so small that they do not confirm
the findings of Wisconsin workers (loc. cit.) and Basu and Nath (loc. cit.), who have
indicated that butterfat is superior to other fats in promoting growth in young
rats with diets adequate with regard to vitamins and minerals. The Wisconsin
workers have attributed the superiority of butterfat to the existence of higher
saturated components in it. They have also stated that the differences are manifest
when lactose was the sole carbohydrate used and disappeared when it was replaced
by other carbohydrates. We have, however, used a mixture of carbohydrates in
the diets. No attempt was made by us to separate the butterfat into saturated
and unsaturated glycerides to study their respective growth promoting properties.
Our results agree closely with those of Henry et. al. (loc. cit.) wherein they have
stated that the various oils and fats are as efficient as butterfat in their nutritive
properties.
Hydrogenation, to the extent carried out in our samples, does not seem to
affect the nutritive properties of oils. Out of nine vanaspatis examined for growth
rate, only two vanaspatis from cottonseed oil induced poor growth only in females.
But in subsequent generations the growth of female rats on vanaspatis compared
favourably well with that on cow ghee.
The various fats were found to be adequate for fertility both in male and female
rats as indicated by the fact that more than 94 per cent of the females cast litters.
From the standpoint of lactation, as judged by the survival of the young ones and
their weight at weaning time, the different fats were found to be equally effective
and vanaspatis in no way were inferior to cow ghee. Three consecutive generations
were, moreover, successfully reared on diets containing 5 per cent of vanaspati
supplemented with vitamins. It can, thus, be concluded that with an adequate
vitamin supplement, the fats studied were of equal nutritive value for growth and
reproduction.
SUMMARY
The butterfats of cow, buffalo, goat and sheep, the body fats from the same
mammals, the vegetable oils namely, groundnuts, sesame, safflower, coconut, mustard
and cottonseed, the groundnut V. m.p. 34.1°C., 37.0°C. and 39.0°C., the sesame