Outcome of pregnancy from day 0 to 19 and serum tocopherol levels in mother rats fed on a rapeseed protein concentrate essentially free from glucosinolates.

A rapeseed protein concentrate containing only minute amounts of glucosinolates was fed to rats during gestation as the sole source of protein at a 20% dietary protein level. Compared with rats obtaining a casein-based diet at the same level of protein, the mother rats on the rapeseed diet showed much lower weight gains during the last trimester. At day 19 of gestation, rats treated with rapeseed protein showed a reduced number of live fetuses and an increased resorption quotient. The average weight of the fetuses was similar, in some cases even higher, in mother rats given the rapeseed diet vis-à-vis the controls. The animals on the rapeseed diet also showed a highly significant decrease in the serum content of tocopherol, which amounted to between 24 and 41% of the control values.