Nutritive value of the proteins of Bengal gram of high and low protein content

It has been reported earlier (Esh, De & Basu, 1959) that a 38 yo variation occurs in the protein content of the pulse, Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum), as a result of difference in genetic strain.Moreover, samples of Bengal gram were found to contain on the dry basis from 17.5 to 27.9 yo crude protein, when they were grown in different localities and from different strains (Esh et al. 1959).Varying results for the digestibility, biological value and growth-promoting value of the same variety of pulse protein have occasionally been reported by different investigators (Niyogi, Narayan & Desai, 1932a, b; Basu, Nath & Mukherjee, 1937; Esh & Som, 1952).T o what extent this variation in the nutritive value can be attributed to the difference in protein content is not known.The literature, however, records significant variation in the overall nutritive value (Mitchell, Hamilton & Beedles, 1952; Ross, Garrigus, Hamilton & Earley, 1952; Sauberlich, Chang & Salmon, 1953 a ; Hogan, Gillespie, KoGturk, O'Dell & Flynn, 1955) and amino-acid composition (Hansen, Brimhall & Sprague, 1946; Sauberlich et aZ.19533) of proteins of high-and low-protein maize when grown from different genetic strains and in different environments with or without fertilizers.In view of these findings, the nutritive values of proteins of high-and low-protein Bengal gram were studied in order to observe the effect, if any, of increase in protein content due to difference in genetic constitution, to environment in which they had been grown, or to both. E X P E R I M E N T A L SamplesSamples of Bengal gram of markedly high or low protein content were selected.They were collected from different State Agricultural Farms where they were raised from seeds of pure strains under controlled conditions.The strains of the samples used and the environmental conditions under which they were grown are shown in Table I . AnimalsAlbino rats, bred and reared in our breeding colony under controlled conditions, were used, weanling ones weighing 45-50 g for the measurement of protein efficiency ratio and adult ones weighing 200-220 g for the balance-sheet method.