INERACTION EFFECT OF IRON ENRICHMENT AND DEFATTED SOYBEAN SUPPLEMENTATION TO WHEAT FLOUR ON THE PROTEIN DISESTIBILITY AND GROWTH IN GROWING RATS

Wheat flour (WF) of 85% meal extraction was blended with/without 50g defatted soybean flour (DSF)/kg and enriched with 50 or lOOmg iron/kg diet used in vitro and In vivo study of protein digestibility, Sixty male weanling albino rats were used as a biological model for this study. Rats were divided into two major equal groups, First group as healthy control rats and second group as iron depleted rats. Each group was subdivided into six groups according to their body mass (BM), These subgroups fed experimental diets for 10 days.<br /> Digestible protein (%) and its digestibility index, rat BM gain and its growth index were estimated using in vivo and in vitro methods, Dietary iron absorption, apparent digestibility, and rat nutritional status of iron depleted and healthy rats were determined. In addition the metabolic energy of the six diets and rat growth index were calculated.<br /> Data analysis showed that, the in vivo protein digestibility index was lower than thai index of in vitro. Protein digestibility index of the anemic rats was higher than that index of healthy rats. The growth index of the healthy rats was higher than that index of the anemic rats. The rat growth index positively proportional to the dietary iron level, The DSF presence in diet caused growth index improvement. The WF+50g DSF+50mg iron diet improves protein digestibility and rat growth index.