Scientific Proceedings (113). 



77 (i659) 



The effect of Heat and Age upon the Antiscorbutic Vitamine in 



Tomatoes. 



By MAURICE H. GIVENS and HARRY B. McCLUGAGE. 



[From the Department of Physiology, University of Rochester, 

 Rochester, N. Y., and the Research Laboratories, Western 

 Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa.] 



Some time ago we proved 1 that the raw tomato is an efficient 

 antiscorbutic agent; that the fruit can be subjected to a tempera- 

 ture of 55-60 0 C. for 14-24 hours or 35-40 0 C. for 36-44 hours 

 and still retain a significant content of its antiscorbutic vitamine; 

 and that such heat treated material is still potent after three 

 month's ageing. Simultaneously Hess 2 proved that canned 

 tomatoes are effective as antiscorbutic agents for children and 

 guinea pigs; and later 3 he showed that tomatoes "canned almost a 

 year previously were noted not to have their antiscorbutic value 

 diminished appreciably by this ageing." 



The value of the tomato as an antiscorbutic agent having been 

 proved, it is highly desirable to have determined the effect of heat 

 and age upon the antiscorbutic accessory in the fruit. With 

 this end in view feeding experiments have been conducted on 

 guinea pigs. In this way we have found guinea pigs protected 

 against scurvy by daily doses of 2.5 grams of fresh raw tomatoes; 

 by 10 grams of fresh raw tomatoes heated one hour at ioo° C; 

 by 2 grams of dried tomatoes heated fifteen minutes at ioo° C; 

 by 10 grams of tomatoes canned at fifteen pounds pressure for 

 thirty minutes; by 3 c.c. of commercial canned tomatoes three 

 years old; and by 10 grams commercial canned tomatoes, three 

 years old, cooked fifteen minutes at ioo° C. 



1 Givens, M. H., and McClugage, H. B., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 

 1918, xvi, 2. 



2 Hess, A. F., and Unger, L. J., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1918, xvi, 1. 



3 Hess, A. F., and Unger, L. J., Am. J. Dis. Children, 1919, xvii, 221. 



