On the Use of Ascorbic Acid as a Stabilizing Agent in Purified Chick Rations

Abstract

OCCASIONALLY, vitamin deficiency symptoms are observed with purified diets that appear to be adequately fortified with vitamins (Lyman and Elvehjem, 1951; Barnett et al., 1956). Certain salt mixtures used in purified diets appear to have a destructive effect on some vitamins of the B-group, especially on thiamine (Rombouts, 1953; Waibel et al., 1954). Kandutsch and Bauman (1953) suggested that thiamine destruction might take place in an aqueous medium in a film around the ration particles, that atmospheric oxygen is the destructive agent, and that some components of the salt mixture act as catalysts to speed this destruction. They also showed that glycerol, ascorbic acid, and a number of other compounds increased the stability of thiamine. This has led in some instances to the use of ascorbic acid as a stabilizing agent for purified diets.In the following experiments a purified diet was fed with different mineral- and vitamin mixtures, with …