PLANT STARCHES AND OILS - THEIR INFLUENCE ON DIGESTION IN RATS

The purpose of the present study was to determine the interaction effe ct of starch and fat of such products over blood parameters (cholester ol, triglycerides), and to evaluate starch and fat digestibility. Expe riments were carried out in eight groups of Sprague-Dawley rats that w ere under the following diets: four of the groups were fed with a mix of 14% palm oil and 58% of each one of the starches (rice, corn, manio c and green plantain); the other four groups were fed a mix of 14% of corn oil and 58% of each one of the same starches under study. No sign ificant differences were found in liver weight or fat digestibility am ong the groups of study. Significant differences were found on the sta rches digestibility, the green plantain starch being the one with the lowest digestibility (83-97%). The statistical differences showed an i nteraction between the starch and oil that affects the starch present in faeces and the starch digestibility. The evaluation of the blood pa rameters (cholesterol and triglycerides) showed significant difference s when different starches were fed, but no so, when oils were changed. Animals that were fed manioc starch showed a higher concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides (244-150 mg dl(-1)), while animals that ingested green plantain starch showed the lowest concentration (93-150 mg dl(-1)). Our results suggest that the levels of cholesterol in rat s was probably influenced by the digestibility of the starches present on the diet. The statistical analysis showed a high interaction starc h vs oil over plasmatic triglycerides concentration. The green plantai n starch has the same effect as some of the resistant starches. (C) 19 98 SCI.