Abstract
The preparation of vitamin A concentrate by molecular distillation was tested on some whale liver oils. The yield of each distillates and its vitamin A potency were tabulated in Tab. 1-6 and the absorption curves of each fraction were shown in Fig. 1-9. The potency of vitamin A was corrected according to Oser's method.
In the experiments, the following results were noticable.
1. The total amount of recovered vitamin A in distillate and residue was higher than that of original oils except one case, showing the presence of kitol. The largest increase was observed in the case of sperm whale liver oil and the potency became 141.9% of original oil.
2. The absorption spectrum of distillates showed the typical curve of vitamin A. This may mean the absence or little contamination of allied substances.
3. From 5 to 18 times concentration of vitamin A was attained in the most concentrated fractions.
4. The factor of distillates became remarkably higher and their ratio became lower than those of the original oils.
