An improved procedure for the assay of available lysine and methionine in feedstuffs using Tetrahymena pyriformis W.

1. A study was made of the assay of available lysine and available methionine using Tetrahymena pyriformis W, as applied to a variety of protein-rich feedstuffs. 2. Results were strongly influenced by the conditions under which the analyses were done. With most of the test samples predigestion with papain caused a large increase in the values obtained. 3. An improved assay procedure was developed which included enzymic predigestion of the test samples, "all-in" sterilization of the medium constituents, and measurement of growth from extinction values. It gave results for available lysine that were broadly similar to those obtained in growth tests with rats, and in chemical tests by the method of Carpenter (1960). Values for available methionine agreed closely with those obtained in microbiological tests with Streptococcus zymogenes.