Biomaterial Database

Utilization of beta-carotene from Spirulina platensis by rats. 1993

R Kapoor, and U Mehta

Department of Foods & Nutrition, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India.

The availability of beta-carotene from Spirulina as compared to standard all trans beta-carotene was studied by the liver and kidney vitamin A storage method. After 21 days of vitamin A depletion, the rats were repleted with beta-carotene from Spirulina and a standard source at two dietary levels (60 and 120 micrograms/day) for a 10 day period. At lower levels, the liver storage levels of vitamin A and the percent of beta-carotene absorption were comparable to those of the standard. At higher levels both these parameters of the Spirulina fed group were significantly (P < 0.01) inferior to the standard source fed group. However, the Spirulina fed group showed better (P < 0.05) growth than the standard fed group did at both low and high levels of feeding.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007408	Intestinal Absorption	Uptake of substances through the lining of the INTESTINES.	Absorption, Intestinal
D007668	Kidney	Body organ that filters blood for the secretion of URINE and that regulates ion concentrations.	Kidneys
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008297	Male		Males
D009753	Nutritive Value	An indication of the contribution of a food to the nutrient content of the diet. This value depends on the quantity of a food which is digested and absorbed and the amounts of the essential nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins) which it contains. This value can be affected by soil and growing conditions, handling and storage, and processing.	Biological Availability, Nutritional,Nutritional Availability,Availability, Biological Nutritional,Availability, Nutritional Biologic,Biologic Availability, Nutritional,Biologic Nutritional Availability,Nutrition Value,Nutritional Availability, Biologic,Nutritional Availability, Biological,Nutritional Biological Availability,Nutritional Food Quality,Nutritional Quality,Nutritional Value,Nutritive Quality,Availability, Biologic Nutritional,Availability, Nutritional,Availability, Nutritional Biological,Biological Nutritional Availability,Food Quality, Nutritional,Nutrition Values,Nutritional Biologic Availability,Nutritional Values,Nutritive Values,Quality, Nutritional,Quality, Nutritional Food,Quality, Nutritive,Value, Nutrition,Value, Nutritional,Value, Nutritive,Values, Nutrition,Values, Nutritional,Values, Nutritive
D009929	Organ Size	The measurement of an organ in volume, mass, or heaviness.	Organ Volume,Organ Weight,Size, Organ,Weight, Organ
D002338	Carotenoids	The general name for a group of fat-soluble pigments found in green, yellow, and leafy vegetables, and yellow fruits. They are aliphatic hydrocarbons containing 4 terpene subunits.	Carotenes,Carotenoid,Tetraterpene Derivatives,Tetraterpenes,Carotene,Derivatives, Tetraterpene
D005243	Feces	Excrement from the INTESTINES, containing unabsorbed solids, waste products, secretions, and BACTERIA of the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.
D005856	Germ-Free Life	Animals not contaminated by or associated with any foreign organisms.	Axenic Animals,Gnotobiotics,Germfree Life,Animal, Axenic,Animals, Axenic,Axenic Animal,Germ Free Life,Gnotobiotic,Life, Germ-Free,Life, Germfree
D000458	Cyanobacteria	A phylum of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria comprised of unicellular to multicellular bacteria possessing CHLOROPHYLL a and carrying out oxygenic PHOTOSYNTHESIS. Cyanobacteria are the only known organisms capable of fixing both CARBON DIOXIDE (in the presence of light) and NITROGEN. Cell morphology can include nitrogen-fixing heterocysts and/or resting cells called akinetes. Formerly called blue-green algae, cyanobacteria were traditionally treated as ALGAE.	Algae, Blue-Green,Blue-Green Bacteria,Cyanophyceae,Algae, Blue Green,Bacteria, Blue Green,Bacteria, Blue-Green,Blue Green Algae,Blue Green Bacteria,Blue-Green Algae