Anthony A. Albanese

The Protein and Amino Acid Requirements of Man

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the protein and amino acid requirements of man. The physiological basis for the nutritional differences of mammals are multiple. Prime consideration must be given to variations in the net dietary energy required for growth of the young and subsequent maintenance of the adult structure, variations in the rate of growth of organs and ultimate relative size of these organs, and finally the presence of special structures, for example, hair, horns, and mammary glands. By feeding mixtures of the purified compounds, Bauer and Berg have established that methionine, phenylalanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, and threonine are required for the growth of mice. Bauer and Berg observed no difference in the growth rate on diets with or without arginine and concluded that the mouse is able to synthesize this amino acid. These investigators also noted that the mixture containing only the essential amino acids is inferior nutritionally to a complete amino acid mixture.

The microestimation of albumin-globulin ratios of plasma proteins.

Abstract A microprocedure and apparatus for the quantitative determination of the albumin and globulin content of human plasma has been described. The results obtained with 0.07 ml. of plasma by this technique were highly reproducible and in good agreement with those obtained by the usual chemical procedures requiring ten times this amount of plasma.