Comparison Between the Nutritional Value of Potato and Corn Starch for Chicks

Potato starch depressed the growth rate of chicks significantly when it was the main source of carbohydrates. Whether fed alone or together with glucose at a ratio of 1:1, it adversely affected feed efficiency in general, and the utilization of dietary nitrogen, fat and nitrogen-free extract (N.F.E.) in particular. The addition of α-tocopheryl acetate to diets low in vitamin E and containing potato starch and oxidized safflower oil, improved the retention of nitrogen, fat and NFE, but did not affect efficiency. Pronounced differences in α-amylase activity between chicks fed corn and potato starch were observed only when the latter supplied the major part of the dietary carbohydrate. Under these conditions pancreatic α-amylase activity was higher in chicks fed potato starch, but was lower in the chyme obtained from various parts of the intestinal tract.