Use of Crystalline Riboflavin in Practical Poultry Rations.: I. Growth Studies

Abstract

THE riboflavin requirements for optimum growth in chicks have been stated as between 1,600 and 1,700 micrograms per pound of ration (Titus, 1939; Norris, 1942). The minimum requirement is about 1,300 micrograms per pound. In compounding commercial and farm rations it has been common practice in recent years to use milk products such as dried buttermilk, dried skimmilk, and dried whey, and other high riboflavin feeds such as liver meals and dried distillery solubles to ensure that rations meet these requirements. Under present circumstances it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain these riboflavin supplements in quantities adequate to maintain the customary scale of feeding, and, indeed, actual shortages are imminent. The increased commercial production of pure crystalline riboflavin and the resultant reduction in the cost of this material have suggested the possible use of the crystalline product to offset the shortages of natural riboflavin carriers.Lepkovsky and Jukes (1936) reported .