OCCURRENCE OF THE VITAMINS E 695 



The effect of the administration of tocopherols to turkeys on the com- 

 position of their tissues was carefully studied by Criddle and JMorgan.^^ 

 When a preparation containing about 50% a-tocopherol, and 50% 7- 

 tocopherol was fed to female turkeys in doses of 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 2% of the 

 feed for two to thirty-five days prior to sacrifice, significant increases in the 

 tocopherol content of the liver, heart, gizzard, and muscle occurred. The 

 liver usually contained the most tocopherol, followed by heart, gizzard, leg 

 and breast muscle. The most efficient transfer of vitamin E to the tissues 

 occurred when the dietar^^ regimen containing 0.1% tocopherol was fed 

 for thirty-five days. It was noted that the peroxide numbers of the sub- 

 cutaneous fat and abdominal fat were greater after frozen storage and with 

 decreasing amounts of tissue tocopherols. 



According to Karrer and co-workers, ^^ the livers of cattle and horses are 

 rich in tocopherols. Mason^^ has recorded appreciable amounts of this 

 \-itamin in the livers of monkeys and of man. Cow's milk has been found 

 to be an exceedinglj^ poor source of ^dtamin E, with an average figure of 

 only 0.061 mg. %.^'' Quaife et al.^^ reported that, when the fodder of the 

 cow was supplemented with a-tocopherol, increased amounts were secreted 

 in the milk. On the other hand, when the added supplement consisted of 

 7- and 5-tocopherols, only slight increases in milk tocopherol were ob- 

 served. 



Krukovsky and Loosli^^ found that the tocopherol content of the milk 

 fat obtained from cows on a standard winter ration gradually decreased 

 throughout the season. Furthermore, the milk showed practically no 

 resistance to oxidative deterioration, and this resulted in the development 

 of "oxidized flavors." When the basal rations were supplemented with 1 

 to 2 g. of mixed tocopherols at the start of the test, both the tocopherol 

 level of the fat and its ability to resist those reactions which cause "oxi- 

 dized flavors" were improved. However, no such improvement was ob- 

 served Avhen the test was carried out with the cows at the end of the winter 

 season. Thus, although the tocopherol supplement functioned satis- 

 factorily in one set of tests, these investigators state that it cannot be de- 

 pended upon to maintain the tocopherol content of the fat and to prevent 

 or to correct "oxidized flavors" under all conditions. 



Tocopherols also comprise an important constituent of the tissues of man. 

 Quaife and Dju^^ estimated a total of 3.4 g. of tocopherols in the tissues of a 



«=> J. E. Criddle and A. F. Morgan, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med., 78, 41-46 (1951). 



'« P. Karrer, W. Jaeger, and H. Keller, Helv. Chim. Acta, 23, 464-465 (1940). 



" R. Abderhalden, Biochem. Z., 318, 47-53 (1948). 



58 V. X. Krukovskv and J. K. Loosli, J. Dairy Set., 35, 843-838 (1952). 



" U. L. Quaife and M. Y. Dju, J. Biol. Chem., 180, 263-272 (1949). 



