Open AccessLignin studies III. Lignin as tracer in digestibility investigations
Author(s) -
Maija-Liisa Salo
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
agricultural and food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.347
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1795-1895
pISSN - 1459-6067
DOI - 10.23986/afsci.71442
Subject(s) - lignin , hay , chemistry , tracer , digestion (alchemy) , food science , botany , chromatography , organic chemistry , biology , physics , nuclear physics
The suitability of lignin as a tracer substance, i.e. the apparent indigestibility of lignin, is dependent on the method used for the determination of lignin. Further, a method suitable for one food is not necessarily suitable for all kinds of food. By the method used in this investigation (method A) the mean digestibility of lignin from mature hay or from hay cured after blooming was found to be +1.8 ± 0.6 %. However, the mean digestibility of lignin from hay cut at an early stage of growth was +17.6 ± 1.0 %. When a pepsin pretreatment was included in the method (method B) the digestibility of crude lignin was found to be somewhat lower than the digestibility of lignin. The lignin determined by method A is more suitable for the lignin ratio technique (digestibility coefficient +1.8 ± 0.7. than the crude lignin determined by method B (digestibility coefficient +3.1 ± 0.9). The lignin preparations isolated from hay and from corresponding faeces have not a uniform composition. Appreciable differences appear in the methoxyl and in the nitrogen contents.