ANTINEURITIC VITAMIN IN POULTRY FLESH AND EGOS 1 
By Ralph Hoagland, Senior Biochemist, Biothemic Division, and Alfred R. 
Lee, Poultryman, Animal Husbandry Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, 
United States Department of Agriculture 
POULTRY AND EGGS IN THE DIETARY 
The importance of vitamins in the human dietary is so well established that 
the nutritive value of a food product must now be judged not only by the usual 
standards but by its vitamin content as well. It does not follow, of course, 
that because a foodstuff is deficient in one or even all of the vitamins that it is 
of low nutritive value. Indeed, several of our most important foodstuffs are 
practically devoid of vitamins. And, on the other hand, a food product is not 
necessarily of high nutritive value solely because of its richness in one or more 
of the vitamins; but a food that is rich in vitamins, as well as having a high 
nutritive value in other respects, is greatly to be prized. What is needed, of 
course, is adequate information concerning the vitamin content of all our food 
products, so that each may be used in proper combination with others so as always 
to insure an abundance of each of the vitamins in the diet. 
Poultry occupies an important place in the dietary of the American people, - 
particularly on the farm, but it is highly regarded by all classes of people. Poul¬ 
try flesh is generally considered to have as high nutritive value as beef, pork, or 
mutton. The per capita consumption of poultry in this country in 1919 is 
estimated as 11.5 pounds. For the same year, the estimated per capita con¬ 
sumption of beef and veal was 65.7 pounds; pork, excluding lard, 68.6 pounds, 
and mutton and lamb 5.8 pounds. 
Eggs are one of our most important foods. Their high nutritive value is well 
established and no other food can quite take their, place. Not only are they 
used extensively as such as a food, but they also enter into the preparation of a 
great variety of food products. According to the census the number of eggs 
produced on farms in the United States in 1919 was 1,654,044,932 dozens. For 
the same year exports and imports, including dried and frozen eggs, were prac¬ 
tically equal. After making deductions for eggs used for hatching and for loss 
of eggs due to breakage and spoilage, it is estimated that the per capita con¬ 
sumption of eggs in this country in 1919 was 159. 
PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS 
There seems to be no information in the literature concerning the vitamin 
content of poultry flesh, although it is possible that the report of some investi¬ 
gation may have been overlooked. 
The vitamin B content of eggs has been studied by a number of investigators, 
some having determined the antineuritic value by means of feeding tests with 
1 Received for publication March 17,1924. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. XXVIII, No. 5 
Washington, D. C. May 3,1924 
Key No. A-71 
96035—24t-5 
(461) 
