A comparison of the body-water and nitrogen balance-sheet methods for determining the nutritive value of proteins

Abstract

Mitchell & Carman, 1926), measuring the biologicalvalue and true digestibility of proteins, gives more fundamental information and is more precise than other available methods. This method has been in use in this laboratory for many years and has been preferred to the growth method of Osborne, Mendel & Ferry (1919) because of its greater precision, particularly for relatively small differences (cf. Henry, Kon, Lea & White, 1947-8). It is, however, time-consuming, and the method, based on body-water determinations, described by Miller & Bender (1955) seemed to offer a more rapid way of assessing Mitchell's (Mitchell & Villegas, 1923) net protein value (NPV), that is biological value x true digestibility -+ 100.