THE INFLUENCE OF THE RATION OF THE COW UPON THE VITAMIN B AND VITAMIN G CONTENT OF MILK

In a previous publication (1) it was shown that milk contains a relatively large amount of vitamin G (Bs) while the amount of vitamin B (Bi) is small.Sherman and Axtmayer (2) in a study of the composite nature of vitamin B found that dried skim milk was apparently richer in vitamin G than in vitamin B. Aykroyd and Roscoe (3), in a similar study, made the observation that milk was a poorer source of the antineuritic vitamin than of the antipellagric factor.In view of these observations it was thought pertinent to study the influence of the ration of the cow upon the relative potency of milk in these two known factors of the vitamin B complex.We were cognizant of the fact that Bechdel and coworkers (4) observed that cows are apparently able to synthesize vitamin B through bacterial action in the rumen.Since Bechdel published his first paper vitamin B has been found to be composed of two or more factors.Whether any other factor besides the antineuritic vitamin is synthesized in the rumen requires further investigation.It is also conceivable that the feed of the animal may influence the type of microorganism present in the rumen and as a result affect the amount of each of these factors of the vitamin B complex which may be synthesized.The present report deals only with the influence of the ration of the cow upon the vitamin B (B,) and vitamin G (BJ content of milk. * Published with the permission of the Director of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station.t In speaking of the vitamin G content of milk in this paper the combined effect of vitamin G and a third factor, if present in milk, is implied.