Digestibility and nutrient value of palmitoyl-L-lysine derivatives in weanling rats.

alpha-N, epsilon-N-Dipalmitoyl-L-lysine, alpha-N-monopalmitoyl-L-lysine, and epsilon-N-monopalmitoyl-L-lysine were compared with 18% casein and lysine HCl as sources of lysine in the diets of weanling rats. The lysine derivatives and lysine HCl were added to a basal diet containing 14.1% of an amino acid mixture with no lysine. Weight gain, food intake, plasma lysine, and urine and fecal lysine were determined. Animals fed the basal and lysine derivative diets lost weight over the 10-day study period. They had lower food intake, urine and plasma lysine content, and a higher fecal lysine content than animals fed the other diets. alpha-N-Monopalmitoyl-L-lysine was absorbed whereas the epsilon-N-monopalmitoyl-L-lysine and the alpha-N, epsilon-N-dipalmitoyl compounds were not.