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Castor (Ricinus communis) seed meal was detoxified by a novel method of wet mixing with sal (Shorea robusta)seed meal so that the toxic constituents of castor seed meal were neutralized by tannins, the toxicants present in the sal seed meal. The resulting product was innocuous, as revealed in the feeding studies in rats. The nutritional benefit of the treated material is improved by synergistic action of a protein such as casein. The aqueous extract of castor seed meal produced a smooth-muscle stimulant effect, whereas this effect was not observed with the extract from treated meal. This is a new concept of neutralization of two toxins by each other in two seed meals. The method can be employed to investigate the suitability of such a processed seed meal as an animal feedstuff ingredient.KEY WORDS: Allergen, castor seed meal, detoxification, ricin, ricinine, sal seed meal, tannin.Currently, India is the largest producer of castor seed ~icinus communis) in the world. The whole seeds yield

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883Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seed oil {RSO) is available in India (Ca. 4500 tons per year) and is used mainly as a drying oil. The oil does not contain any unusual fatty acids, and it is a rich source of essential fatty acids Cls:2 and C18:3 that make up 52% of its total fatty acid composition. Acute toxic potential in rats and the systemic effects and nutritional quality were assessed in a 13 week feeding study in weanling albino rats using a diet containing RSO or groundnut oil (GNO) {as the control) at a 10% level as the sole source of dietary fat. RSO did not manifest any acute toxic potential. Food consumption, growth rate and feed efficiency ratio of rats fed RSO were similar to those fed GNO. The digestibility of this oil was found to be 97%, as compared to 94% for GNO. There were no macroscopic or microscopic lesions in any of the organs which could be ascribed to the RSO incorporation in the diet. Thus the current data show that RSO could be used for edible purposes. However, it will be necessary to process the oil to achieve deodorization and to remove free fatty acids to make it organoleptically acceptable. KEY WORDS: Fat digestibility, Hevea brasiliensis, nutritionaland toxicological studies, rubber seed oil.

Mowrah seed (Madhuca Zatifolia) meala contains high levels of saponin (7 %) making it unsuitable for incorporation in animal feedstuff formulations. The saponin from mowrah seed meal was isolated and purified by paper chromatography. This was used for in vitvo tests as well as pharmacological and acute toxicity studies for a better understanding of its properties and toxicity. The oral, intraperitoneal and intravenous LD5O of mowrah saponins in mice are 1 g, 15-20 mg and 15 mg/kg body weight respectively. Processing of the meal to remove or inactivate the saponin will be essential prior to its incorporation in animal feeds.