Ccxxii . the Distribution of the Vitamin B Complex . Iii . Fruits

MOST of the previous work on the distribution of vitamin B in fruits was carried out before the differentiation of the complex into the antineuritic vitamin B1 and the antidermatitis vitamin B2, and as a rule the results of the older experiments give only rough indications of the presence of both constituents of the complex. These have been summarised by Sherman and Smith [1931]. In the work described in the present paper, apple, banana, orange.and tomato, the fruits in most common use in this country, were tested for their vitamin B1 and vitamin B2 content respectively. Vitamin B4 [Reader, 1929; 1930, 1, 2] has not been tested for independently. As it was not being supplied in the basal diet used for the vitamin B1 tests, these indicated the content of vitamin B1 and B4 combined. This work is a continuation of that on the vitamin B1 and B2 content of foodstuffs previously carried out in this laboratory [Aykroyd and Roscoe, 1929; Aykroyd, 1930; Chick and Copping, 1930; Roscoe, 1930, 1931]. A comparison is given in this paper of all the results hitherto obtained.