The availability of the calcium and phosphorus in " electrofos " for bone formation. I. In the rat

Abstract

A basal diet, containing 0•06 per cent. calcium and 0•05 per cent. phosphorus, and albino rats, 4 to 5 weeks old and weighing approximately 60 grams, were used to ascertain the availability of electrofos I and electrofos II in comparison with dicalcium phosphate for bone formation. These phosphatic products, prepared by a thermal process, were studied at two levels giving diets containing 0•18 per cent. phosphorus and 0•36 per cent. phosphorus, the Ca : P ratio being maintained at about 2 : 1. Apart from live weight gains percentage retention of the relevant minerals as determined by slaughter tests and femur ash were used as criteria for evaluating the products. The averages of the results obtained are summarized in Table 18. It was found that both electrofos I and electrofos II were significantly less available for bone formation than calcium phosphate. However, more or less equal bone formation was obtained when these products were supplemented at about twice the level of calcium phosphate.