K. Hamano et al., RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESPIRATION AND NUTRITION OF THE SILKWORM, BOMBYX-MORI, Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B Physical and biological sciences, 71(10), 1995, pp. 310-313
The influence of the major kinds of energy sources, included in the ar
tificial diet on respiratory quotient of the silkworm Bombyx mori was
investigated. The respiratory rate of control (intact) silkworm larvae
fed on a diet that contains three major energy sources (proteins, car
bohydrates and fats), was compared with those of larvae grown on diffe
rent artificial diets containing only one of the three major energy so
urces during the 5th instar. The rate of oxygen consumption of larvae
fed on control or protein diets was higher than those fed on carbohydr
ate and fat diets. Larvae fed on a protein diet showed a higher rate o
f carbon dioxide output than that of larvae fed on carbohydrate or fat
diets. The mean respiratory quotients (RQ) during the first 4 days of
the 5th instar were 0.74, 0.87, 1.18, 0.92, for the control, protein,
carbohydrate and fat diets, respectively. From this study, it was con
firmed med that the RQ value could be altered by composition of the di
ets.