Abstract
A comparative study of the influence of two subproducts from carob, its pulp (PUL) and its natural fiber (FNA), on the dietary nutritive utilization was performed. The products were included in a semisynthetic diet (50 g/kg) and administered to rats. A group of animals which consumed cellulose (CEL) was used as a control. Cholesterol levels were monitored weekly during 28 days in normal and hypercholesterolemic rats that consumed FNA and CEL (supplemented with sterols 25 g/kg diet). The intake, weight increase and food efficiency ratio (CEA) obtained were not significantly influ enced. By contrast, the fat digestibility coefficient (CDG) of the FNA group (0.97 ± 0.003) was signifi cantly lower than the corresponding CEL (0.98 ± 0.00) and PUL (0.98 ± 0.00) groups. Accordingly, the nitrogen digestibility coefficients (CDN) were significantly different: CEL, 0.93 ± 0.003; PUL, 0.91 ± 0.003, and FNA, 0.90 ± 0.003. Serum cholesterol levels were not different between the non-hypercho lesterolemic groups that consumed FNA or CEL. Concerning the evolution of the cholesterol blood level, the animals supplemented with cholesterol showed an increase that was always lower in the supplemented animals which were administered FNA compared with those that consumed CEL. This difference was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) in the fourth week, when the cholesterol levels of the CEL and FNA groups were 235 ± 9 mg/dL and 167 ± 12 mg/dL, respectively.
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