EFFECTS OF AMYLOSE AND WHEAT BRAN ON THE LEVELS OF BLOOD-SERUM UREA NITROGEN (BUN), OTHER BLOOD PARAMETERS, GROWTH AND FECAL CHARACTERISTICS IN RATS

A basal diet (containing 20% soybean protein isolate) was supplemented with limiting amino acids (AA, methionine, threonine and tryptophan); wheat bran (WB, 24.3%); amylose (AM, 10%) or a combination of AA and WB or AM to investigate their effects on the levels of blood serum ure a nitrogen (BUN), other blood parameters, growth and fecal characteris tics in young rats. After 3 weeks feeding, supplementation of the basa l diet with AA or WB resulted in improved growth (gain/food ratio) whi le the addition of AM had no effect on rat growth. Addition of WB to t he basal diet had no effect on BUN while the addition of AA and AM cau sed about 20 and 12% reduction in BUN values, respectively. Rats fed t he AA-AM diet had the lowest BUN values (42% lower than those fed the basal diet). Fresh volume, fresh weight, moisture and dry weight of fe ces in rats fed the WB diets were about four to five fold higher than in those fed the AM diets. The results suggested that BUN may not be a good predictor of growth and protein quality in diets containing AM o r a source of dietary fiber (WB).