| Gossypol, a polyphenolic compound found in cottonseed, has been found to cause toxic effects in monogastric animals when consumed at high levels. Presently, the official method for gossypol determination is the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) spectrophotometric procedure which utilizes aniline to form dianilinogossypol. However, this method is not specific for gossypol, therefore, false positive results are often obtained. The purpose of the study was to develop an analytical method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for free and total gossypol analysis of food products containing cottonseed; absorption of gossypol in the diet by the rat; and gossypol determination of the liver, spleen, kidney and heart of rats fed diets containing gossypol. False positive results obtained previously with the AOCS spectrophotometric method was eliminated with HPLC. The HPLC method was found to be simple, reproducible, accurate and specific for gossypol. Food products containing cottonseed were found to be safe for human consumption. Diets containing casein with 0 ppm free gossypol, and cottonseed flour with 57, 90, and 164ppm free gossypol were fed to male weanling rats for twenty-eight days. With an increase in dietary free gossypol, 0, 57, 90 and 164 ppm, apparent free gossypol absorption significantly (p = 0.05) increased, 0, 60, 70 and 84 percent, respectively. Free, bound or total gossypol content of the organs significantly (p = 0.05) increased with an increase in free gossypol intake. Since gossypol is a cumualtive substance, the level of gossypol used in animal diets and human food products needs to be taken into consideration so as to prevent the occurrence of gossypol toxicity. |
