The metabolism of nitrogen and the digestibility coefficient and biological value of the proteins and net protein utilization in poor rice diet supplemented with methionine fortified soy flour or skim

The effect of supplemeilting a poor rice diet con~monly used in Iildia with
methionine-fortified soya flour or skim milk powder was studied in seven girls
aged 8-9 years, using as criteria: the retention of nitrogen, digestibility coefficient,
biological value, and net protein utilization of the proteins. The retention of
nitrogen on the rice diet was very low (20.3 mg/kg day). Suppleinentation of the
rice diet with soya flour, methionine-fortified soya flour or skim milk powder, so
as to provide about 1 g/kg extra protein, made up the protein deficiency in the rice
diet and resulted in a significant increase in nitrogen retention (95.6, 112.1, and
113.6 mg/kg day). The retention of nitrogen on the rice diet supplemented with
methionine-fortified soya flour (112.1 mg/kg day) or skiin milk powder (113.6
mg/kg day) was nearly the same and significantly higher than that (95.6 ing/kg
day) observed with a diet supplemented with soya flour. The biological value and
net protein utilization of the mixed proteins of rice - skim inilk powder diet and
rice-methionine-fortified soya flour diet (62.4 and 62.2 and 53.3 and 54.0 respectively)
were nearly the same and signiticantly higher than those (58.3 and 49.0)
of rice - soya flour diet. The results show that methionine-fortified soya flour is
almost as good as skim milk powder and significantly superior to soya flour as a
protein supplement to rice diet.