174. The effect of commercial sterilization on the nutritive value of milk. IV. Effect on the vitamin B complex, on vitamin B1 and on vitamin B2 (flavin) of milk

1. The effect of commercial sterilization on the vitamin B complex, vitamin Bx and vitamin B2 (flavin) of milk has been investigated in experiments on rats using milk from the same bulk before and after heat treatment. 2. No quantitative comparisons were carried out regarding the vitamin B complex, but the tests showed that a considerable destruction of some component or components of it had been caused by the heat treatment and that vitamin B1 was, most probably, one of them. 3. Separate tests showed that about one-third of the vitamin B1 originally present in milk was destroyed by sterilization. 4. Sterilization appeared to have no adverse effect on vitamin B2 (flavin).