[Excretion of carbohydrates by rats fed legume seeds]

A study of sugars excretion in rats after feeding with diets containing various raffinose content (0, 4, 8 and 12%) and cooked leguminous seeds (soybean, peas and beans) has been performed. It was noted, that feeding with raffinose-containing diet has no effect on sugars level in urine during 10 days of experiment. Feeding with the diets containing 8 and 12% raffinose caused highly increased excretion of this sugar and its metabolites in faeces after first 24 h. After next few days of experiment in despite of high raffinose content in diets the level of raffinose excretion in the faeces came back to the initial one. In the case of leguminous seeds feeding of rats increased excretion of sugars in faeces was observed also after 20-24 h, and was maintained on the same level during 10 days of experiment. The ratio of excreted to consumed sugars was limited to 2-5% only. It is presumed that there were stachyose and verbascose metabolites, previously identified in leguminous seeds.