GROWTH-RESPONSE OF RATS FED WITH A DIET CONTAINING NON-DIALYZABLE MELANOIDIN

Nondialyzable HN-melanoidin was prepared from a model system of glucose and 15N_ glycine, and the growth response ofrats fed with the dietary melanoidin was examined. Measurement of the excreted melanoidin by 15N-balance revealed that 76% of the dietary melanoidin was excreted in the feces. Measurement of brown pigments in aqueous extract from the feces and in the urine by colorimetry indicated that 65%of the dietary melanoidin was excreted in the feces but none in the urine. It is speculated from the gel filtration chromatography of melanoidin that low molecular components of the dietary melanoidin were degraded into less or non-colorant materials through digestion and absorption in the intestines and that part of degraded melanoidin was retained by rats. Both low molecular components and reducing value of the fecal melanoidin were smaller than those of the original melanoidin. Growth response, protein digestibility and lipid digestibility of the rats fed with the dietary melanoidin were not significantly different from those of the control. © 1979 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.