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Arginine Requirement and the Arginine Content of Casein
268
RESEARCH NOTES
were plotted on a semilogarithmic scale a straight line was obtained. A similar line was obtained from egg shells washed in heated iron solutions of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and lO.Op.p.m.
Dennison, Head, Food Technology Department, for his assistance during this study.
SUMMARY
Garibaldi, J. A., and H. G. Bayne, 1960. The effect of iron on the Pseudomonas spoilage of experimentally infected shell eggs. Poultry Sci. 39: 1517-1520. Garibaldi, J. A., and H. G. Bayne, 1962a. Iron and the bacterial spoilage of shell eggs. J. Food Sci. 27: 57-59. Garibaldi, J. A., and H. G. Bayne, 1962b. The effect of iron on the Pseudomonas spoilage of farm washed eggs. Poultry Sci. 41: 850-853. Riddick, T. M., N. Lindsay and A. Tomassi, 1958. Iron and manganese in water supplies. J. Am. Water Works Assoc. 50: 688-696.
Egg shells were stained when washed for 3 to 4 minutes in water containing various concentrations of iron (FeS04-7H 2 0). The stains intensified as the concentrations of iron increased from 0.01 to 10.0 p.p.m. Heating the iron solution to 120°F. produced staining more intensified than the non-heated iron solutions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REFERENCES
The authors wish to thank Dr. R. A.
ARGININE REQUIREMENT AND THE ARGININE CONTENT OF CASEIN H. FISHER AND P. GRIMINGER Department of Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick,
NJ.
(Received for publication October 1, 1963)
Much has been written concerning the high arginine requirement of chicks fed diets based on casein as the source of protein. The peculiar amino acid balance of casein, as suggested by studies from this laboratory (Fisher, Shapiro and Griminger, 1960), may in part explain this phenomenon. We now wish to draw attention to a recently published article on seasonal variations in the arginine content of casein, which might provide another missing link in explaining the high arginine requirement of chicks on casein diets. According to Kiermeier and Kirchmeier (1963) the amino acid content of milk casein changes considerably with the season. The authors found, for example, a large increase in essential amino acids between July and November, and a corresponding decrease in
nonessential amino acids. Specifically, the value for arginine ranged from 3.5 to 4.8% of the protein during the year. This could mean a difference in excess of 30% between the arginine content of casein-based diets, using a high- and a low-argininecasein sample. The arginine value for casein, as given by Block and Weiss (1956), is 4.2, or midway between the extreme values recorded by the German workers. It is not improbable that the relatively large differences reported in the above mentioned article are differences in the various casein components rather than differences in the structure of any single protein. With easier access to amino acid analyzers it is to be hoped that researchers will carry out more analyses of casein samples used in studies of arginine requirement and metabolism.
RESEARCH NOTES REFERENCES Block, R. J., and K. W. Weiss, 1956. Methods and results of protein analysis. Amino Acid Handbook, Charles C Thomas—Publisher, Springfield, Illinois. Fisher, H., R. Shapiro and P. Griminger, 1960. Further aspects of amino acid imbalance, with
269
special reference to the high arginine requirement of chicks fed casein diets. J. Nutrition, 72: 16-22. Kiermeier, F., and O. Kirchmeier, 1963. t)ber fiitterungsbedingte, jahreszeitliche Veranderungen der Aminosaurezusammensetzung des Caseins. Biochem. Z. 337: 519-524.
MEASURES OF EGG SHELL QUALITY H. L. MARKS 1 AND T. B. KINNEY, JR. 2 Agricultural Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland (Received for publication October 7, 1963)
Egg shell quality is a trait that is commonly measured and reported in different units. As a result, correlations between various units of measure are of real importance when comparing data measuring the same trait but reported in different units. Periodic examination of these relationships, although previously reported, are useful in determining their stability. Olsson (1934) reported a correlation of .94 between specific gravity and percent shell. A correlation of .754 between specific gravity and shell thickness was reported by Godfrey andjaap (1949). This study was undertaken in order to further examine the relationship of various measures of egg shell quality.
tenths gram and the specific gravity was determined by placing them in a series of eight salt solutions. The density of the solutions ranged from 1.065 to 1.100 with increments of 0.005. Eggs were then broken out to determine albumen height and incidence of blood and meat spots. Albumen height was measured with an albumen height indicator. Egg shells were allowed to dry for one week at a temperature of approximately 70-80° F. The shells with the shell membrane intact were then weighed to the nearest one-tenth gram and measured with an Ames thickness gauge to the nearest .0005 inch. Three measures from the midregion of each shell were averaged for use as a thickness measure of that shell.
PROCEDURE Eggs were collected for five consecutive days from approximately 300 Single Comb White Leghorn pullets 200 days of age which originated from the Cornell Randombred population maintained at the North Central Regional Poultry Breeding Laboratory. Eggs were weighed to the nearest two-
RESULTS The genetic and phenotypic correlations between various egg quality traits are presented in Table 1. These estimates were based on sire components with 49 degrees of freedom. The correlations between specific gravity, shell thickness and percent shell are positive and of high magnitude. Observations from eggs collected on days one and two were combined and designated as group 1, while eggs collected on days four and five were combined as group 2 for a more complete regression analysis. This breakdown made it possible
1 Poultry Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division. 2 Biometrician, Livestock Research Staff, Biometrical Services.
RESEARCH NOTES
were plotted on a semilogarithmic scale a straight line was obtained. A similar line was obtained from egg shells washed in heated iron solutions of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and lO.Op.p.m.
Dennison, Head, Food Technology Department, for his assistance during this study.
SUMMARY
Garibaldi, J. A., and H. G. Bayne, 1960. The effect of iron on the Pseudomonas spoilage of experimentally infected shell eggs. Poultry Sci. 39: 1517-1520. Garibaldi, J. A., and H. G. Bayne, 1962a. Iron and the bacterial spoilage of shell eggs. J. Food Sci. 27: 57-59. Garibaldi, J. A., and H. G. Bayne, 1962b. The effect of iron on the Pseudomonas spoilage of farm washed eggs. Poultry Sci. 41: 850-853. Riddick, T. M., N. Lindsay and A. Tomassi, 1958. Iron and manganese in water supplies. J. Am. Water Works Assoc. 50: 688-696.
Egg shells were stained when washed for 3 to 4 minutes in water containing various concentrations of iron (FeS04-7H 2 0). The stains intensified as the concentrations of iron increased from 0.01 to 10.0 p.p.m. Heating the iron solution to 120°F. produced staining more intensified than the non-heated iron solutions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REFERENCES
The authors wish to thank Dr. R. A.
ARGININE REQUIREMENT AND THE ARGININE CONTENT OF CASEIN H. FISHER AND P. GRIMINGER Department of Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick,
NJ.
(Received for publication October 1, 1963)
Much has been written concerning the high arginine requirement of chicks fed diets based on casein as the source of protein. The peculiar amino acid balance of casein, as suggested by studies from this laboratory (Fisher, Shapiro and Griminger, 1960), may in part explain this phenomenon. We now wish to draw attention to a recently published article on seasonal variations in the arginine content of casein, which might provide another missing link in explaining the high arginine requirement of chicks on casein diets. According to Kiermeier and Kirchmeier (1963) the amino acid content of milk casein changes considerably with the season. The authors found, for example, a large increase in essential amino acids between July and November, and a corresponding decrease in
nonessential amino acids. Specifically, the value for arginine ranged from 3.5 to 4.8% of the protein during the year. This could mean a difference in excess of 30% between the arginine content of casein-based diets, using a high- and a low-argininecasein sample. The arginine value for casein, as given by Block and Weiss (1956), is 4.2, or midway between the extreme values recorded by the German workers. It is not improbable that the relatively large differences reported in the above mentioned article are differences in the various casein components rather than differences in the structure of any single protein. With easier access to amino acid analyzers it is to be hoped that researchers will carry out more analyses of casein samples used in studies of arginine requirement and metabolism.
RESEARCH NOTES REFERENCES Block, R. J., and K. W. Weiss, 1956. Methods and results of protein analysis. Amino Acid Handbook, Charles C Thomas—Publisher, Springfield, Illinois. Fisher, H., R. Shapiro and P. Griminger, 1960. Further aspects of amino acid imbalance, with
269
special reference to the high arginine requirement of chicks fed casein diets. J. Nutrition, 72: 16-22. Kiermeier, F., and O. Kirchmeier, 1963. t)ber fiitterungsbedingte, jahreszeitliche Veranderungen der Aminosaurezusammensetzung des Caseins. Biochem. Z. 337: 519-524.
MEASURES OF EGG SHELL QUALITY H. L. MARKS 1 AND T. B. KINNEY, JR. 2 Agricultural Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland (Received for publication October 7, 1963)
Egg shell quality is a trait that is commonly measured and reported in different units. As a result, correlations between various units of measure are of real importance when comparing data measuring the same trait but reported in different units. Periodic examination of these relationships, although previously reported, are useful in determining their stability. Olsson (1934) reported a correlation of .94 between specific gravity and percent shell. A correlation of .754 between specific gravity and shell thickness was reported by Godfrey andjaap (1949). This study was undertaken in order to further examine the relationship of various measures of egg shell quality.
tenths gram and the specific gravity was determined by placing them in a series of eight salt solutions. The density of the solutions ranged from 1.065 to 1.100 with increments of 0.005. Eggs were then broken out to determine albumen height and incidence of blood and meat spots. Albumen height was measured with an albumen height indicator. Egg shells were allowed to dry for one week at a temperature of approximately 70-80° F. The shells with the shell membrane intact were then weighed to the nearest one-tenth gram and measured with an Ames thickness gauge to the nearest .0005 inch. Three measures from the midregion of each shell were averaged for use as a thickness measure of that shell.
PROCEDURE Eggs were collected for five consecutive days from approximately 300 Single Comb White Leghorn pullets 200 days of age which originated from the Cornell Randombred population maintained at the North Central Regional Poultry Breeding Laboratory. Eggs were weighed to the nearest two-
RESULTS The genetic and phenotypic correlations between various egg quality traits are presented in Table 1. These estimates were based on sire components with 49 degrees of freedom. The correlations between specific gravity, shell thickness and percent shell are positive and of high magnitude. Observations from eggs collected on days one and two were combined and designated as group 1, while eggs collected on days four and five were combined as group 2 for a more complete regression analysis. This breakdown made it possible
1 Poultry Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division. 2 Biometrician, Livestock Research Staff, Biometrical Services.