Comparative Vitamin B6 Activity of Frozen, Irradiated and Heat-Processed Foods

Abstract

The vitamin B₆ content of 6 foods which had been frozen, canned by conventional heat treatment and irradiated with 2.79 and 5.58 megarads of gamma rays was obtained using the growth of rats as the assay procedure. The vitamin B₆ activity of beef liver, cabbage, boned chicken, green beans, lima beans and sweet potatoes was obtained initially and after 9 and 15 months' storage. The vitamin B₆ activity in every treatment of beef liver, boned chicken, cabbage and green beans was less after the food had been stored 15 months than initially. Every treatment of lima beans and sweet potatoes resulted in the same or a higher activity after storage for the same period. The vitamin B₆ activity of the heat-treated and irradiated foods was approximately 40 to 60% of the activity of the frozen foods at each corresponding storage period.