Experiments on Nutrition. VIII

Abstract

Various cereal products were tested on pigeons in open sunlight to ascertain their relative potency in vitamin B. Preventive tests, consisting of long-time feeding trials to find the minimum amount of cereal necessary to maintain normal weight and to give normal rearing of young, were used as criteria rather than short-time curative methods. In each case the cereal to be studied was supplemented with 5% of fish meal to satisfy the protein and mineral requirements and fed ad lib. It was not found necessary to add an antiscorbutic to the food and in most cases cod liver oil as a source of A was omitted. The least amount of cereal necessary for maintenance or rearing was demonstrated by dilution with rice starch or reinforcement with marmite. From the concentration of the cereal, or the amount of marmite necessary, the relative potency of each material was calculated. These amounts were then compared to that of dried yeast, which was assigned a factor of 100. Wheat germ, marmite, baker''s yeast, middlings, bran, rye, whole wheat, barley, millet, dari, maize, buckwheat, oats, and oatmeal possessed a decreasing value in the order listed. Methods of calculating the amount of a cereal necessary for normal rearing of rats, pigeons, and chickens are given. A discussion of the multiple nature of vitamin B and suggestions for nomenclature are included.