CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF JATOBÁ-DO-CERRADO (HYMENAEA STIGONOCARPA Mart.) FLOUR AND ITS EFFECT ON GROWTH OF RATS

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of jatobá-do-cerrado fl our and its effects on rat´s growth. The chemical composition of the fl our was determined according to AOAC. The PER, NPR, food effi ciency ratio (FER), food conversion ratio (FCR), dry matter digestibility (DMD) and fecal output were evaluated by an assay in which animals were fed according the AIN- 93 diet: casein (CAS) diet and another having 50% of its protein source from jatobá fl our (JAT). Chemical analysis showed signifi cant amounts of crude fi bre and minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc) in the fl our. The CAS group ate more and gained more weight than JAT group (p<0.05). JAT was less effi cient on converting diet in body weight. PER was lower for JAT (p<0.05), but no signifi cant difference was observed for NPR values (p>0.05). Faeces moisture and dried weight for JAT were higher, which corroborated its lower DMD (p