[Influence of coagulated egg melange on the physical endurance of growing male Wistar rats: physiological and biochemical assessment].

Melange, is one of the most commonly used products of egg processing, however, its use for the production of functional foods is limited by its liquid consistency. The range of functional foods, including those that increase physical endurance and working ability, can be expanded by using the coagulated form of the melange. Thus, the preclinical testing of the nutritional value of coagulated melange and the effect of its consumption on the physical endurance of laboratory animals is relevant. The aim of this research was the experimental comparative physiological and biochemical in vivo evaluation of the effects of coagulated melange consumption by Wistar male rats on their growth indices and physical endurance. Material and methods. Samples of the lyophilized egg melange (EM) and coagulated egg melange (CEM) were used as objects of the research The experiment was conducted with the use of 45 growing male Wistar rats with initial body weight 80±5 g. According to the preliminary training results, 27 animals were selected for further experiment. The motor function was evaluated by means of grip test. The rats were randomized into 2 experimental groups according to their weight and grip strength. Animals were treated for 32 days with isocaloric and isonitrogenic semi-synthetic diets with EM and CEM as protein component (25% of the dry weight), consequently. The grip test was conducted once per week, two days a week animals were trained on the treadmill for 10 min. On the 31st day of the experiment, animals were exposed to exhaustive training till total exhaustion. On the 32nd day of experiment animals were decapitated under light ether anesthesia. The concentration of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol (CHL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) was determined in the blood serum. Results and discussion. The greater consumption of food (20±1 g/rat/day) containing CEM by animals corresponded to a greater increase (204±9%) of their body weight over the entire experiment period compared with animals that received EM (13±1 g/rat/day; 160±9%, respectively, p≤0.05). An increase in the intake of food containing CEM had a pronounced positive effect on the physical endurance of the animals, assessed in the grip test. For the 21 days of the experiment, this indicator increased by 26% in rats consuming EM, whereas in rats consuming CEM, the grip strength increased more significantly - by 42%. Consumption of CEM by animals increased the run time (33.8±1.4 min) and the distance covered (557±35 m) in the treadmill test before the exhaustion in comparison with similar indicators for animals that received EM (24.8±2.5 min and 365±50 m, respectively , p≤0.05). The obtained results indicate an increased resistance of animals treated with CEM to exhausting physical loads. Conclusion. The consumption of CEM by growing Wistar male rats increased more effectively their growth and physical endurance in comparison with animals treated with non-coagulated egg melange. These results show the prospective of the use of CEM as a functional food ingredient in specialized foods, enhancing physical endurance and working ability.