DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW DIGESTION TEST

Abstract

ABSTRACT : 1. Soluble starch was modified by partial methylation. The methyl group occupied the position 6 of the glu-cose molecule only. 2. The modified starch is digestable. Its break-down yields glucose and 6-0-methyl glucose. 3. 6-0-methyl glucose was found to be almost totally absorbed, passed through the liver unchanged and excreted in the urine. 4. The recovery of 6-0-methyl glucose after an oral administration of methylated starch was found to be more than 85% of the dose given. 5. Methylated starch may serve as a digestion test. It may be run simaltaneously with tests as D-Xylose and Phenyl-acetic oil in order to detect any mal-digestion or mal-absorption suspected. 6. When the methylated starch is given simultaneously with D-Xylose, the 5 hr urine contains at least 1.5 times methyl glucose as xylose (calculated as per-centage of the dose.