Effect of feeding her (Zizyphus mauritiana Lam.) juice on growth, blood composition and histology of albino rats

Abstract

Ber juice was fed to groups of growing albino rats at the level of 10 ml/day in a 15% protein diet for four weeks. Diets containing ber juice showed significantly higher feed efficiency ratios when compared with control rats. No marked differences were observed in blood composition, serum glucose, proteins, cholesterol, serum glutamate oxaloacetate and pyruvate trans-aminases, alkaline phosphatase and organ weights in the different groups. The organs of animals fed ber juice with or without seeds or the casein control diet showed a normal histopathological picture. The results indicate that consumption of ber juice does not result in any adverse effects in rats.