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Some aspects of an investigation of the food value of British Columbia apples

University of British Columbia

The primary objective of the project was to obtain definite information about the food value of British Columbia apples which could be used to advertise the product on the world markets. The first phase of the work involved activity cage measurements made with mature rats fed a basic ration, supplemented in the case of some, with fresh apple. The female rats of the apple-fed group showed a remarkable stimulation of physical activity. They also showed an increased respiration rate and a greater degree of reproductivity. A group of young growing rats was fed the basic ration and another group received this ration plus an apple supplement. It was shown by periodic weighings, that the apple-fed rats made more rapid growth than did the controls. The possibility of these results being brought about by an increased level of riboflavin was discussed, and an experiment set up to determine the effects of a pure riboflavin supplement on the activity of rats. The results of this experiment were very similar to those obtained with an apple supplement, although not so strikingly significant. Finally, it was shown by means of a microbiological assay, that fresh apples contained sufficient riboflavin to neutralize effectively a deficiency of that vitamin, if included in the diet in appreciable quantities.

Text

2012-03-20

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/41560

Plant Science

University of British Columbia

Graduate