抄録
The contents of Vitamin A and carotenoid in the skin of mackerel, Pneumatophorus japonicus, were determined. The skin samples used in this work consisted of the derm layer with a main portion of hypodermal fat layer. A kind of carotenoid obtained from the sample represented the majority of the carotenoids in the skin of mackerel. From its absorption maxima this carotenoid seems to differ from xanthophyll, taraxanthin etc. which have been reported to be present in the skin of various fishes.
The vitamin A content in the skin found to be proportional to the oil content.
In the previous study the authors have observeved on various fish flesh that the relationship between the oil content of flesh and the vitamin A concentration in the oil is expressed by an equation. However in the present case such a relationship was not observed in the skin.
The content of the carotenoid in the skin of a whole fish did not differ among the individuals. When he dorsal side of the fish was compared with the ventral side, the vitamin A contents were found almost equal with each other. However, the carotenoid content in the dorsal side was about ten times as much as that of the ventral side.
