The quantitative nutrient-response relationship.

A quantitative mathematical model for the description of nutrientresponse relationships can be derived by the application of the concepts of a) specific nutrient-macromolecular interaction, b) response proportional to the extent of this interaction, c) law of mass action and d) saturation kinetics. This model can be used to produce the four-parameter mathematical model for physiological responses. The possible uses of the model are discussed, an idealized example is given, and the model is applied to the interpretation and description of a growth experiment in which male, weanling Sprague-Dawley rats are fed diets varying in concentration of an amino acid mixture.