The above results indicate that PSO had comparable nutritional qualities to GNO and the retention of fat or
nitrogen or calcium or phosphorus were not impaired due to PSO in the diet. This study confirms that PSO can be consumed safely by the population as practised by the tribal population in northeast India. PSO, being rich in a-LNA, has also shown potential beneficia leffects in decreasing the circulating levels of serum cholesterol and triglycerides. In the light of such beneficial effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in health and disease, oils rich in a-linolenic acid, such as Perilla seed oil used in the present study, could be exploited for nutritional advantage by blending with other vegetable oils.