A Note on the Use of Wheat Starch in “Synthetic” Rations.

Abstract

In the preparation of vitamin-free synthetic rations for animal experiments the purification of ingredients is a time consuming task. A starch which does not seem to need purification for vitamin B work may be of interest. Wheat starch, a by-product in the manufacture of gluten, was found to be considerably cheaper than the best grade of pure corn starch and entirely lacking in the antineuritic factor. Over 60 rats were used in making the comparisons and checking the results reported here. Polyneuritis developed in from 3 to 4 weeks when a ration containing wheat starch, purified casein, salt mixture, crisco, and cod liver oil was supplemented with 0.5 gm. daily of autoclaved yeast. There was no apparent difference between the response on the raw starch and on that which had been autoclaved for 3 hours at 18 lbs. pressure when food intake was limited to the same amount for all rats. In a preliminary series of tests the rats receiving the synthetic ration containing autoclaved starch made a greater temporary gain and were slower in developing polyneuritis than the ones on the raw starch ration. Since this could not have been due to a difference in vitamin content it was puzzling until it was noted that the rats ate more of the autoclaved than of the raw starch ration. With limited food intake the growth in the 2 groups was the same, indicating that the difference must have been one of palatability and not of availability or vitamin B content. When raw yeast was used as a supplement, normal growth resulted with either the raw or autoclaved starch rations. No effort was made to determine the vitamin G content of the wheat starch, but it is unlikely that it carries any appreciable amount.