The availability to the rat of energy from various diet ingredients

The digestible and metabolizable energy values of 8 ingredients commonly used in laboratory animal diets were determined using the growing male rat, by the total collection method. Each ingredient was incorporated into a basal diet of maize, wheat, soyabean meal and fishmeal. The metabolizable energy values, on a dry matter basis, corrected to the nitrogen retention of the basal diet for rats per 100 g bodyweight were as follows: maize 15.23 MJ/kg, extracted soyabean meal 14.11 MJ/kg, barley 12.31 MJ/kg, wheat 14.09 MJ/kg, oatfeed 1.36 MJ/kg, white fishmeal 11.61 MJ/kg, dried skimmed milk 14.32 MJ/kg, casein 17.91 MJ/kg. Additional analytical data for the 8 ingredients are also given.