Nutritive value of rapeseed meal: Effects of individual glucosinolates

In the first of a series of studies on the nutritional value of rapeseed meal, rats were fed diets containing six individual glucosinolates over a period of 29 days. The diets included progoitrin and gluconapin both of which are major components of high glucosinolate rapeseed cultivars. No reduction of feed intake or growth rate was noted and thyroid weights were significantly affected only by the progoitrin diet, which also produced small increases in the weights of the livers and kidneys. There was no depression of plasma thyroid hormone levels.