244 ANKUAL, REPORTS OF DEPARTIMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



INVESTIGATIONS OF MEATS AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS. 



The investigations relating to the nutritive value of meats and 

 meat food products have been continued, particular attention being 

 given to the vitamin content of the muscle tissue of beef, pork, and 

 mutton, with an extension of the work to include the meat and eggs 

 of several species of fowl. A part of this work has been conducted 

 in cooperation with the Animal Husbandry Division. 



VITAMIN CONTENT OF POKK, BEEF, AND MUTTON. 



Further studies in extension of the work reported in Department 

 Bulletin 1138 confirmed the results there reported and showed that 

 hog muscle is relatively rich in the antineuritic vitamin (vitamin B)'. 

 For example, 5 per cent of dried hog muscle, corresponding to 3.4 

 per cent of fat-free muscle, protected a pen of 4 pigeons against 

 polyneuritis for 8 weeks, while 5 per cent of one lot of baker's dried 

 yeast or 4 per cent of one lot of brewer's yeast which were tested at 

 the same time failed to protect the pigeons. 



A study was made of the vitamin A content of the lean meat and 

 of the fat rendered from the fatty tissues of the best grades of beef, 

 pork, and mutton purchased on the local market, but had not been 

 completed at the end of the year. 



VITAMIN B IN POULTRY FLESH AND EGGS. 



A study of vitamin B (antineuritic vitamin) in poultry flesh and 

 eggs resulted in finding that, in the samples tested, the lean flesh of 

 frying chickens and of hens and turkeys was relatively deficient in 

 this vitamin. The guinea-hen flesh seemed to have a slightly higher 

 value, while the duck flesh contained a fairly large proportion of the 

 vitamin. Hen's eggs did not appear to contain a very large amount 

 of the vitamin, although they have been generally considered by other 

 workers to be fairly rich in it. The tests were all conducted on 

 pigeons. A few tests with white rats to determine the value of eggs 

 as a source of vitamin B for growth indicated that while the samples 

 examined possessed a certain proportion of that vitamin, they ap- 

 parently did not rank high in that respect. The white of the egg 

 appeared to contain no vitamin B, the entire amount being contained 

 in the yolk. 



VITAMIN A IN POULTRY FLESH AND EGGS. 



A study was also made of the vitamin A content of the same lots 

 of poultry flesh and eggs which served for vitamin B determina- 

 tions, ancl in addition samples of rendered fat from several lots of 

 j)oultry were also tested for vitamin A. These studies were all car- 

 ried out by feeding young white rats. The findings were that the 

 lots of poultry flesh and poultry fat studied contained a fair propor- 

 tion of vitamin A, while hen's eggs were very rich in it, the yolk 

 containing the entire quantity. 



EFFECT OF VITAMINS ON GROWTH. 



In addition to the previously described work several projects 

 relating to the effect of vitamins on the growth and development of 

 animals were begun, in cooperation with the Animal Husbandry 

 Division. The first embraces a study of the effect of the vitamin 



