Studies on the Vitamin B12 Content of Feedstuffs and other Materials ,

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Abstract
Evidence is presented that comparable values for vitamin B12 potency are obtained by chick growth and microbiological assays. Studies revealed that substances which replace vitamin B12 in the metabolism of L. leichmannii can be differentiated equally well with paper partition chromatography or by destruction of the vitamin with alkali. Using the rapid microbiological assay method and the alkali correction procedure, a study of the vitamin B12 content of feedstuffs and other materials was made. Fish meal and related products and liver products were found to contain appreciable quantities of vitamin B12, while cereals and their by-products were found to contain very little, if any, vitamin B12. Two vitamin B12 activity peaks were obtained by paper partition of alfalfa meal extracts. The smaller, faster moving peak appeared to be due to thymidine. The other, slow moving peak may be due to a form of vitamin B12 not destroyed by alkali, as its Rf value did not correlated with that of any of the known active desoxyribosides.