The growth of chickens, quail, and Tribolium castaneum larvae fed isonitrogenous diets containing 15 percent protein mostly derived from cereals was correlated with the chemical composition using ridge regression analysis. The following variables were included in the analysis for two varieties of tri tic-ale, three varieties of soft and common wheat, two of hard wheat, and three of durum wheat: moisture, crude protein, lipid, ash, amylase inhibitor activity, pearling index, reducing and nonreducing sugars, glucose, soluble and insoluble starch, available carbohydrate, amylopectin/amylose ratio, water-soluble pentosans, cellulose, pectic substances, lignin, hemicellulose, nonavailable carbohydrate, and acid and neutral detergent fiber contents.

The triticales were significantly better than the wheats for the growth of test organisms. Although the constituents of cereals are not nutritionally independent for supporting growth, the results of these studies showed that starches may be a more important nutritional component of cereals than was previously presumed. Both starch and crude protein content were positive nutritional components for weight gain. Grain hardness was negatively correlated with weight gain in all test organisms.