The influences of potato starch-granules and cellulose on the digestive enzyme activities of adult and young rats were studied for various duration. When rats of 8 weeks old were fed on the diet than that of rats (control) fed a pregelatinized potato starch diet (PPS diet), and pancreatic protease

Novel lignin-based polymers, lignophenols, have been derived from native lignins through the phase-separation system composed of phenol derivatives and conce ntrated acid. The molecular weight of lignophenol was controlled from ca.7400 to ca.520, using the intramolecular switching function under the alkaline condition. By the blending of the biopolyester [poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)] with butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), triacetin and lignophenol 2nd derivative, the elongation ratios of the resulting films became 5, 5 and 20 times higher, respectively, compared with the control film without additives. For the composite films with BHA and triacetin, the shrinkages and the weight losses were observed with increasing temperature, due to the evaporation of additives. On the other hand, for the composite film with lignophenol 2nd derivative, no shrinkage was observed, and the thermogravimetric profiles were almost compatible with that of the control film. The DSC analysis indicated that the crystallization enthalpies of biopolyester-lignophenols films decreased with increasing contents of lignophenols.

A modified starch, dicarboxyl starch (DCS), was prepared from potato starch by periodate oxidation following chlorite oxidation.The compound had the binding ability to metals in vitro. Under the lower nutritional level (10% casein and lower level of calcium and phosphorous), rats were fed with diets containing strontium or cadmium with or without DCS for several weeks. The growth rates of rats fed diets containing cadmium (0.005 and 0.02%) seemed to be improved by the addition of DCS. Strontium concentration in the tibia and cadmium in the liver were decreased by the addition of either 2 or 3% DCS to the diet. Strontium concentration of the tibia of rats fed the strontium diet without DCS was significantly higher than that of rats fed the strontium diet with DCS. These results indicate that DCS added to diet seemed to prevent the intestinal absorption of strontium or cadmium in rats.