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Conversion of Carotene from Alfalfa and from Water-Dispersible Gelatin Beadlets to Vitamin A by Calves¹

Storrs (Conn.) Agricultural Experiment Station, Storrs

ABSTRACT

In conducting studies dealing with vitamin A nutrition of calves, it is desirable to have a source of the provitamin, carotene, which is not only concentrated and stable but also relatively free of other nutrients. The recent development (2) of a dry stabilized form in which carotene is incorporated into water-dispersible gelatin beadlets appeared to meet these requirements. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the conversion to vitamin A of this source of carotene and to compare it with that from alfalfa. Alfalfa was used as a standard of comparison, since to date it has been employed in many of the vitamin A nutrition experiments undertaken at this Station.

Four Guernsey and 12 Holstein one-day-old male calves were obtained during March–May, 1959, from various Connecticut state institution herds, placed in individual sawdust-bedded tie-stalls, and raised to 63 days of age essentially as previously described (4). On the 64th day of age, each calf was fed a vitamin A depletion ration (4) at a level of intake to provide an anticipated seven-day increase in live weight of 10 lb.

¹ Supported in part by funds provided by Wirthmore Feeds, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts. The authors are indebted to B. A. Donohue and T. Watts for care of the calves, to Mrs. Mae Miller for technical assistance, and to Dr. R. H. Bunnell, Hoffmann-La Roche, Nutley, New Jersey, for supplying the water-dispersible gelatin beadlets.