One male rat in the PSO group died at 10 weeks due to otitis media infection. Table 3 shows the growth pattern
of the PSO/GNO fed group of rats over 18 weeks. No differences were observed in the body weight gain of
animals fed groundnut oil/Perilla seed oil. The feed efficiency ratio as well as food intake are similar between the two groups fed either groundnut oil or Perilla seed oil. Hence, the results indicate that Perilla seed oil compares favourably with groundnut oil in its nutritive quality. The data on retention of fat, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus are given in Table 4. No significant differences were observed in the retention of nutrients between the two groups indicating that PSO is absorbed
to the same extent as GNO in these animals.