Antiscorbutic Vitamine in Milk. 119 



57 (1804) 



The destruction of the antiscorbutic vitamin in milk by the catalytic 

 action of minute amounts of copper. 



By ALFRED F. HESS and LESTER J. UNGER. 



[From the Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and 

 Surgeons, Columbia University, New York City.] 



In a previous communication 1 it was shown that the anti- 

 scorbutic vitamin in milk, orange juice, or tomato juice, is, to a 

 certain extent, destroyed by oxidation. In view of the well- 

 known action of catalysts in increasing oxidative processes, and 

 the frequent presence of traces of copper in milk, it seemed worth 

 while to ascertain the effect of the addition of small amounts of 

 copper to milk. To this end two groups of guinea pigs were fed 

 equal amounts of milk, which, in the one instance, had been 

 heated in a glass vessel to 6o° C. for 40 minutes, and, in the other 

 instance, had been heated in a copper vessel to the same degree. 

 Each animal received daily dried milk to the equivalent of 100 

 c.c. of fluid milk, and oats in addition. Diluted dry milk was 

 employed, so as to be able to concentrate the milk and thus insure 

 its complete consumption. 



None of the guinea pigs fed on the milk heated in the glass 

 vessel developed scurvy during a period of four months; they did 

 not, however, make normal gains as the quota of antiscorbutic 

 vitamin was inadequate. On the other hand, the animals fed 

 with the same quantity of milk, which had been heated in a copper 

 vessel, all developed scurvy, and died after about four weeks. 

 This milk contained 1.4 part of copper per million. That this 

 nutritional failure was due to a lack of antiscorbutic vitamin was 

 demonstrated by the excellent gains of a third group of guinea 

 pigs which were given milk which had been heated in the copper 

 vessel, but received in addition 2 c.c. daily of orange juice. 



Milk frequently becomes contaminated with copper in the 

 course of commercial pasteurization or condensation. It seems 

 possible that these traces of copper may contribute to the destruc- 



1 Hess, A. F. and Unger, L. J., Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol, and Med., 1921, 

 xviii, 143. 



