Nutritional Properties of Fresh Fats Added to Diets Containing Autoxidized Cottonseed Oil

1.Purified diets containing 20 or 15% of medium-chain saturated triglycerides (MCT), refined cottonseed oil (CSO), corn oil, chicken fat, lard, coconut oil, butter, beef fat, long-chain saturated triglycerides (LCT) and ethyl esters derived from CSO in addition to 10 or 15%, respectively, of cottonseed oil aerated at 95°C for 300 hours (OCSO) were fed to weanling rats for three weeks.2.Survival rate was significantly improved by MCT.3.Body weight was considerably increased by MCT, CSO, corn oil, olive oil, and soybean oil; mildly improved by lard and chicken fat; not influenced by butter and coconut oil; and lessened by beef fat and LCT.4.The elevated water intake of animals fed OCSO was reduced by MCT when 20% was added to 10% of OCSO.5.Studies of organ weights in relation to body weight showed that the enlargement of kidneys and adrenals produced by OCSO was significantly reduced by MCT and fresh CSO, accentuated by beef fat and LCT and unaffected by other fats. Heart ventricle weights, in comparison with those of normal animals, were somewhat reduced with OCSO alone and with MCT and mildly increased with beef fat and LCT. (The difference between LCT and MCT was significant). The liver enlargement observed with OCSO was reduced by 20% of MCT or CSO. The reduction of testicular fat body weight associated with the feeding of OCSO was counteracted by most fresh fats.6.The beneficial effect of the ethyl esters of CSO was slight compared with that of fresh CSO.7.It is suggested that the beneficial effect of triglycerides on body weight can be correlated with their melting point.