The Vitamin B Complex of Peeled Wheat Bread

Abstract

By means of standard assay procedures the content of various members of the vitamin B complex in bread made from peeled wheat flour has been determined. The values obtained in micrograms per gram of fresh bread are thiamine 3.0, riboflavin 2.5, nicotinic acid 35, pantothenic acid 5.2, pyridoxine 3.1 and inositol 644. The advantages of using a high vitamin yeast in baking the bread are evident in values for thiamine of 4.6, and for nicotinic acid of 44 as contrasted to the above values for bread made with regular yeast. The peeled wheat flour was found to contain the following values in micrograms per gram: thiamine 5.8, nicotinic acid 72, pantothenic acid 9.6, and inositol 1100. Confirmation of the assay values obtained is evident in the ability of the bread to supplement a vitamin B complex-free basal diet for the growth of white rats. In addition, its consumption results in the curing of gray hair in black rats in approximate proportion to its content of pantothenic acid.