Some Studies on the Nutritive Value of Butter Fatty Acids

There was no statistically significant difference in weight gain or efficiency of food conversion during a 5-week period between 2 groups of 10 young rats (5 males and 5 females) each, regardless of whether the fat component of a Sherman B diet was made up of the fatty acids of butter or the same fatty acids, stripped of their low molecular weight fraction by steam-distillation. In a similar experiment a significant difference in weight gain and some difference in the efficiency of food conversion was observed when the effect of butter fatty acids as part of the Sherman B diet was compared with that of the partially hydrogenated fatty acids. Weight gain and efficiency of food utilization were decreased only in the male rats of the group fed the hydrogenated fatty acids, and only when the intake of vitamins A and D was relatively low. The amount and concentration of vitamin A stored in the livers of rats fed preformed vitamin A was not significantly affected by complete hydrogenation of the butter fatty acids in the diet.