COMPARED METABOLIC AND DIGESTIVE UTILIZATIONS OF FABA BEAN, LENTIL AND CHICK PEA

Faba bean, lentil or chick-pea raw seeds were used as the only protein food in the rat. The balanced diet was designed to suit growth requirements. Nitrogen apparent digestibility coefficient (CUDa) was 72% in the faba bean, 75% in the lentil, 76% in the chick-pea groups respectively, but the CUDa of some essential amino acids were much lower: 52 - 51 - 71% for methionine, 60 - 39 - 78% for cystine, 73 - 71 - 75% for valine, while arginine CUDa values (87 - 87 - 82) were higher than all other AA CUDa values. Growth rate (8.9 - 6.7 - 9.1 g/d) and food intake index (2.1 - 2.5 - 2.2) were satisfactory. Blood and muscle free amino acid concentrations related to digestible intake showed that methionine from the 3 legumes, threonine from chick-pea, arginine and lysine from faba bean were not fully available.