High Concentrations Of Vitamin Research Articles

Influence of thiamin on growth and fat formation by Penicillium lilacinum Thom.

Penicillium lilacinum was grown on a high sugar–salts medium favorable for fat formation. Thiamin hydrochloride was added to 5-day-old cultures at three different concentrations, namely, 0.25, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/l. Sugar uptake, growth, and fat formation were followed after addition of vitamin for a period of 9 days. Sugar uptake was enhanced by the lowest and suppressed by the two higher vitamin concentrations. At higher concentrations, there was an early inhibition of dry weight increase, but by the end of the experiment, the weight of the high thiamin cultures equalled that of the controls. The effect of thiamin on fat formation was dependent on both the concentration and period of incubation. By the end of the incubation period, the low thiamin concentration had promoted fat formation, the high concentration had suppressed it, while the medium concentration was ineffective.

Conversion of Carotene from Alfalfa to Vitamin A by Guernsey and Holstein Calves

Summary Twelve Guernsey and 12 Holstein male calves whose average age was 83±10 days and which were partially depleted of their vitamin A stores to an average plasma vitamin A level of 7.8±2.5 γ per 100ml., were fed daily one of four levels, 30, 60, 120, or 240 γ, of carotene from alfalfa per pound of live weight for 12 consecutive seven-day periods and then slaughtered. Guernseys had higher concentrations of carotenoids in plasma and liver than did Holsteins. Conversely, Holsteins had higher concentrations of vitamin A. The linear rates of change of either plasma or log liver vitamin A concentrations on log carotene intake for Guernseys and for Holsteins were essentially parallel, but Holsteins maintained higher average levels than did Guernseys. Based on this, it was calculated that Holsteins converted carotene to vitamin A 1.4 times more efficiently than did Guernseys, when employing plasma vitamin A as the criterion, with 95% confidence limits between 0.8 and 2.5. A similar value, when utilizing log liver vitamin A as the criterion, was 1.8 with limits between 1.2 and 2.8, and for log liver vitamin A. per 100lb. of live weight, 1.7, with limits between 0.8 and 4.5.

ヤツメウナギ消化管の脂質及びVitamin A

In the adult lamprey, Entosphenus japonicus MARTENS, the potency of vitamin A is found at a very high level in various parts of the body. Among these parts, the alimentary canal, despite it weighing only one per cent of the body, contains the largest or nearly one half of the total vitamin A in the body as reported by Higashi et al. Curious to know why such a large amount of vitamin A is concentrated in that organ, the author assessed the oil and vitamin A in the tissue as well as the contents of alimentary canal and obtained the following results: 1. Vitamin A in the alimentary canal oil was determined at the levels of 614, 000 and 1, 150.000 I. U. per gram on the sample materials I and II of the mature fish which were caught in a spawning stream of Yamagata Prefecture in February and May 1958, respectively. Perhaps the latter value is the highest of vitamin A ever known on any natural materials. The calculation showed vitamin A of 42, 000 and 327, 000 I. U. per gram of the tissue on the samples I and II. The vitamin A concentration in the alimentary canal contents was assessed at a level much lower than of the tissue (Table 1). 2. A greater part of the vitamin A was found in the ester form with the amount of free form larger in sample II than sample I (Table 3). 3. Nearly 75 per cent of unsaponifiable matter of the alimentary canal tissue consisted of vitamin A, indicating a unique character that has never been observed in vitamin oils from any other species of fish. On the other hand, the unsaponifiable matter in the alimentary canal contents revealed little vitamin A but much sterols (Table 2). 4. A postulation explaining high concentration of vitamin A in the alimentary canal of the lamprey is proposed as follows: When the lamprey return to the fresh water for spawning, they seem to consume more fat and protein than vitamin A which have been stored abundantly in various parts of the body during their sea life. In consequence a portion of vitamin A which becomes exceedingly high beyond a limit acceptable to the tissues of the other organs and muscle, will be transported from these parts to the alimentary canal tissue and then excreted from the tissue to the inside of the canal. In other words, most of vitamin A of the alimentary canal contents do not seem to be the remains of food but those excreted from the canal.

Vitamin A and carotenoids in certain invertebrates. III. Euphausiacea

Our published work has shown that the northern euphausiids, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, Thysanoessa raschii and T. inermis, contain much higher concentrations of vitamin A than we have found in any other marine Crustacea (Kon & Thompson, 1949a; Batham, Fisher, Henry, Kon & Thompson, 1951; Fisher, Kon & Thompson, 1952, 1953, 1954). In the antarctic species, Euphausia superba, the concentration of vitamin A in samples taken from the alimentary canals of baleen whales (Thompson, Ganguly & Kon, 1949; Kon & Thompson, 1949b) was similar to that found in Meganyctiphanes norvegica from the gut of arctic baleen whales (Fisher et al., 1952), but both were very much lower than in free-swimming M. norvegica. No corresponding free-swimming specimens of Euphausia superba had been analysed.

The vitamin C content of english and South African cabbages

AbstractAnalysis of cabbages grown on the same plot at Greenford (Middlesex) from seed of both English and South African varieties revealed that, in general, the English varieties had higher concentrations of vitamin C. Results of a similar experiment, with a smaller number of plants, at two places in South Africa tended to confirm this conclusion. Agreement between the results from the two places was sufficiently good to indicate that location had little or no influence. Unusually high concentrations of dehydroascorbic acid, probably caused by some seasonal effect, were found in the cabbages grown at Greenford. English spring cabbages grown in South Africa, under the same conditions as the other varieties, showed vitamin C contents of the same order, whereas in England, in previous seasons, it has been found that spring cabbages contain a higher concentration of vitamin C than those harvested in summer and winter.

VITAMIN C CONTENT OF WALNUTS (PERSIAN) DURING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

The remarkably high concentration of vitamin C in immature walnuts and in walnut hulls was first reported by Gherghelezhiu (1), who noted that the walnuts developed a maximum concentration of 2.5% vitamin C (wet basis) just before hardening of the shell took place. Subsequently, there was a gradual loss of vitamin C up to maturity. Hennig and Ohske (2) confirmed these observations and noted that the percentage of total vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid) in the green hulls decreased from 1.0% in July to 0.26% in October; the dehydro-form represented less than one-tenth of the total vitamin C. A maximum value of 1.8% ascorbic acid in the whole immature walnuts was reported by Pyke, Melville, and Sarson (3). Melville, Wokes, and Organ (4) measured the amount of reductones1 in immature walnuts ranging in weight from 2 to 40 grams, and found about 30% of the total apparent (dichlorophenol-indophenol titratable) vitamin C to be reductones. However, Lugg and Weller (5) reported that only 5-10% of the total reducing capacity of the walnut extracts could be assigned to reductones, and that only about 5% of the total vitamin C (ascorbic plus dehydroascorbic acid) occurred as dehydro-acid. Recently Tuba, Hunter, and Osborne (6), using the method of Levy (7), have published values for the non-vitamin C reductants, expressed as percentage of total indophenol dye reductants, of 38% for the whole immature walnut of 4.2 gm. weight, and 24% for a walnut weighing 8.5 gm. As a part of investigations dealing with the utilization of waste walnut hulls as a commercial source of vitamin C, we have measured the vitamin C content of the Persian (English) walnut at different stages of development during two seasons. The amount of reductones and the distribution of vitamin C in the differentiated structures of the maturing walnut have also been determined. The amount of biologically active vitamin C in the immature walnuts has been measured and compared with the values obtained by the chemical methods.

The Eeffect of Shark Liver Oil on Milk and Butter Fat Production1,2

Summary The effect of feeding various levels of shark liver oil of high vitamin potency to milking cows has been studied and the following results obtained. 1.Blood plasma and milk carotene of all the cows fed shark liver oil decreased during the experimental period while high amounts of vitamin A were being administered. 2.The administration of shark liver oil was effective in increasing the blood plasma vitamin A concentration. Coincident with the increased levels of blood plasma vitamin A there was a 3- to 5-fold increase in the vitamin A content of milk. These increases were effected within limits, by the vitamin concentration of the oil, the dosage given, and the length of the feeding period. Thus the vitamin A in both the blood plasma and milk rose as the result of feeding high vitamin A potency shark liver oil to cows fed practical rations. 3.Feeding shark liver oil containing high concentrations of vitamin A to cows resulted in no increase in milk or butter fat production. The per cent of butter fat was not affected. Stage of lactation, season, or the yield of milk up to 60 pounds per day had no favorable effect upon the reaction to shark liver oil feeding. The feeding of as much as 90 cc. of shark liver oil per cow per day tended to increase the normal rate of decline of milk production with the advance of lactation.

Experimental Evidence of an Additional Substance Essential to Mammalian Nutrition

It has become increasingly evident that one or more water soluble substances other than vitamins B (B1 and G (B2) were necessary for general mammalian nutrition. Further evidence appeared during the course of an experiment to study the effect of fairly high concentrations of vitamin G upon growth and reproduction. Litter mates had been divided between 3 diets planned to be both adequate and practically equal in all the known nutritional essentials except for the one variable, vitamin G. From previous experience it was expected that early growth would be improved by the higher concentrations of vitamin G. It soon became apparent, however, that vitamin G had ceased to be the limiting factor since inferior growth attended the higher concentrations of that vitamin. At 140 days of age the average weight of the 4 males was 318, 269, and 250 gm., and that of the 6 females 239, 209, and 182 gm. for the 3 diets which contained successively increasing concentrations of vitamin G. This reversal was carried over to the young whose average weight at 28 days of age was 57 (35 cases), 47 (22 cases), and 29 (7 cases) gm. for the males, and 53 (31 cases), 43 (20 cases), and 30 (8 cases) gm. for the females, notwithstanding successively increasing amounts of vitamin G. The average gain in weight of representative young of the second generation from the 28th to 56th day of life was 119 (6 cases), and 89 (3 cases) gm. for the males, and 80 (6 cases), and 68 (6 cases) gm. for the females. The diet richest in vitamin G was not represented here. When representative young from the 3 diets were fed Bourquin and Sherman's vitamin G deficient diet at 28 days of age, a striking reversal of their growth occurred. Those young which had grown poorly and were from mothers showing poor growth now grew the best. The average gain in weight from the 28th to 56th day was 9 (9 cases), 10 (10 cases), and 16 (9 cases) gm. for successive increases of vitamin G in the previous dietary.

Characteristics of Highly Active Vitamin A

THE recent publications of Karrer, Morf and Schopp1, and of Heilbron, Heslop, Morton, Webster, Rea and Drummond2, have pointed to the conclusion that the highest concentrations of vitamin A they were able to obtain were almost pure. We have recently been able, by the help of high-vacuum technique, to prepare a much more highly active vitamin A. The physical data relating to our preparation are recorded below.