Calorimetry

The energy released by combustion of foodstuffs outside the body can be measured directly (direct calorimetry) by oxidizing the compounds in an apparatus such as a bomb calorimeter, a metal vessel surrounded by water inside an insulated container. The food is ignited by an electric spark. The change in the temperature of the water is a measure of the calories produced. Similar measurements of the energy released by combustion of compounds in living animals and humans are much more complex, but calorimeters have been constructed that can physically accommodate human beings. The heat produced by their bodies is measured by the change in temperature of the water in the walls of the calorimeter.

The caloric values of the common foodstuffs, as measured in a bomb calorimeter, are found to be 4.1 kcal/g of carbohydrate, 9.3 kcal/g of fat, and 5.3 kcal/g of protein. In the body, similar values are obtained for carbohydrate and fat, but the oxidation of protein is incomplete, the end products of protein catabolism being urea and related nitrogenous compounds in addition to CO₂ and H₂O (see below). Therefore, the caloric value of protein in the body is only 4.1 kcal/g.