Nutritive value of leaf protein concentrates. I.—Effect of addition of cholesterol and amino‐acids

Abstract

Abstract The value of leaf protein concentrates as supplements to cereal diets for chicks has been studied using the ‘gross protein value’ technique. Protein concentrates from different crops have been found to vary widely in nutritive value, but have in all cases been inferior to casein. Concentrates from lucerne contained a factor depressing chick growth, the effect of which was counteracted by adding cholesterol to the diets. This factor was not found in concentrates from Italian ryegrass or white clover. The addition of lysine increased the value of diets containing leaf protein concentrates, possibly because the lysine present in the latter was partly unavailable through low digestibility of the proteins or chemical combination.