Mercer L P, Dodds S J, Smith D L
Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK 74171.
J Nutr. 1987 Nov;117(11):1936-44. doi: 10.1093/jn/117.11.1936.
Parameters derived from the application of the saturation kinetics model (SKM) to rat growth experiments were used to formulate a complete dietary amino acid mix for weanling rats. Dietary ratios and concentrations for indispensable amino acids (IAA) and arginine were calculated using the parameter K0.5. A curve shift technique was used to determine dietary concentrations for conditionally indispensable amino acids (CAA) and dispensable amino acids (DAA). The model was also used to determine a dietary ratio of (IAA + Arg)/(CAA + DAA). Using the dietary amino acid concentrations suggested by the model and an (IAA + Arg)/(CAA + DAA) ratio of 1, a growth response curve was constructed and compared to a similar curve using the amino acid mix of Rogers and Harper. The modeling approach produced a 10-15% improvement in growth over the Rogers and Harper mix. The SKM is discussed in terms of calculating an ideal nutrient ratio and choosing a desired response level. It is demonstrated that the model can rapidly produce accurate estimates for dietary amino acid levels, while minimizing required numbers of laboratory animals.
