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Twenty-four Murrah buffalo cows were divided into 4 groups and were fed 0-3, 0*4, 0-5 or 0-6 kg of concentrate mixture per litre of milk produced. Energy and N balance studies were conducted on 2 animals from each group in the sixteenth and seventeenth weeks of the study. The efficiency of conversion of gross energy into milk energy ranged from 10-9 to 12-7 %. The efficiency of conversion of metabolizable energy (ME) and ME above maintenance into milk energy ranged from 25-0 to 32-2 % and from 51-7 to 78-6 % respectively. Differences amongst groups were not significant for all the 3 parameters.The conversion of digestible N into milk N varied between 23-6 and 27-3% in different groups. The efficiency of utilization of metabolizable N for milk production ranged between 47-6 and 56-4%. Various groups however did not differ significantly from each other in these respects.The efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy (ME) for milk production is governed by the energy utilized for maintenance and the energy deposited in or obtained from the tissues. ME required for maintenance in its turn seems to be regulated by the composition of the diet (Brouwer, Van Es & Nijkamp, 1961;Flatt, Coppock & Moore, 1965) and the season of the year (Brouwer et at. 1961). Lactating animals have been shown to have a higher requirement for maintenance than nonlactating animals (Brody, 1945;Hutton, 1962;Neville & McCullough, 1969); data presented by Flatt et al. (1965), however, indicate that it could be lower than that for dry, non-pregnant animals. Blaxter (1962) concluded, from his review of numerous experimental studies, that ration composition has a marked effect on the efficiency of conversion of dietary energy into body tissues. Those rations which are relatively high in roughages and thus tend to produce more acetic acid would be less efficient in this respect than those which increase the production of propionic acid (Armstrong & Blaxter, 1965). Recent studies by Moe, Tyrrell & Flatt (1971) indicate that the efficiency of conversion of ME into tissue energy is higher in lactating animals than in dry animals. That the utilization of dietary energy by an animal is considerably • Present address: Veterinary College,

The study was conducted to evaluate the acute postprandial and long-term metabolic response to a traditional mixture of barley (Hordeurn vulgare), Bengal gram (Cicer arkfinurn) and wheat (Trificurn aesfivurn). The acute study was performed on eight healthy subjects (five male, three female) and six subjects with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (four male, two female). Each subject underwent two 50g carbohydrate meal tolerance tests (MIT), one with white bread (reference meal) and another with chapaties made from the cereal-pulse mixture (CP). The postprandial glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to CP were attenuated compared to those to white bread, the glycaemic index being 68.6 and 64.9 in healthy and NIDDM subjects, respectively, and the insulinaemic index being 88.1 and 66.0 in healthy and NIDDM subjects, respectively.The long-term study was performed on five healthy subjects (four male, one female) and four male NIDDM subjects. The study consisted of two dietary periods, control (C) and experimental (E), of 4 weeks each, completed in random order using a cross-over design. During C, the subjects consumed the diet to which they were normally accustomed. During E, part of the daily cereal intake of the subjects was replaced by chapaties made from l00g CP. During C, none of the variables studied showed any significant change. During E, fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin levels decreased, and carbohydrate tolerance improved significantly in NIDDM subjects. High density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased significantly during E in both healthy and NIDDM subjects. The physiological effects of CP make it a suitable staple or supplement for management of NIDDM and it may also have possible benefits in atherosclerosis.

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