The chemical composition of animal bodies

Abstract

Animal bodies are composed of fat and non-fatty matter. The relative proportions of these two ingredients vary within wide limits but can be controlled by food. The non-fatty matter consists of water, protein and ash. The percentage of water varies with the age of the animal in a definite manner. This has been determined with tolerable certainty for cattle. The available evidence indicates that the same formula is applicable to pigs and, with slight modification, also to sheep, but these inferences require confirmation. The ratio of protein to ash is the same in sheep as in cattle but in pigs it is higher. In any case it does not alter with the age of the animal but it may be influenced to a certain extent by the food. Individual variation is wider in pigs than in ruminants. The average composition of the whole body at any stage can be calculated when the live weight and percentage of fat in it are known.