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The Eeffect of Shark Liver Oil on Milk and Butter Fat Production^1,2,

Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison

ABSTRACT

The effect of feeding various levels of shark liver oil of high vitamin potency to milking cows has been studied and the following results obtained.

1. Blood plasma and milk carotene of all the cows fed shark liver oil decreased during the experimental period while high amounts of vitamin A were being administered.
   
2. The administration of shark liver oil was effective in increasing the blood plasma vitamin A concentration. Coincident with the increased levels of blood plasma vitamin A there was a 3- to 5-fold increase in the vitamin A content of milk. These increases were effected within limits, by the vitamin concentration of the oil, the dosage given, and the length of the feeding period. Thus the vitamin A in both the blood plasma and milk rose as the result of feeding high vitamin A potency shark liver oil to cows fed practical rations.
   
3. Feeding shark liver oil containing high concentrations of vitamin A to cows resulted in no increase in milk or butter fat production. The per cent of butter fat was not affected. Stage of lactation, season, or the yield of milk up to 60 pounds per day had no favorable effect upon the reaction to shark liver oil feeding. The feeding of as much as 90 cc. of shark liver oil per cow per day tended to increase the normal rate of decline of milk production with the advance of lactation.
   

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. These studies were supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

² A preliminary report of a portion of these studies was presented before the Dairy section of the American Society of Animal Production, Jour. Animal Sci., 1: 68. 1942.