A study of indigestible protein fractions of rice (Oryza sativa, L.) endosperm fed to mice (Mus musculus) and sheep (Ovis musimon): A qualitative and quantitative analysis

Rice (Oryza sativa L) endosperm protein was fed, both cooked and uncooked, to mice and sheep, animals that have monogastric and polygastric digestive systems respectively. Both species ale the rice diets; however, neither were able to completely digest the protein. This was evident as undegraded protein bodies and/or faecal protein particles (FPP) were present in the faecal matter. Significant differences between cooked and uncooked rice degradability was found when fed to both the mice and the sheep (P<0.05). The ruminant digestive system of sheep was significantly better (P<0.05) at digesting the rice protein than was the single stomach system of mice. The implications of this study reduces the potential effectiveness of using FPP as carriers of medications or antigens, to a large group of domestic animals. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.