Abstract
Experiments on carotene metabolism was performed using male rats. Twenty four hours after an oral dose of 500μg β-carotene, the amounts of carotene and vitamin A in all tissues were determined. In all, 20 per cent was found as carotene or vitamin A and 80 per cent was consumed. Twenty four hours after feeding 100-400mg α-tocopherol in addition to 1mg β-carotene, the rise in amounts of carotene and vitamin A in each tissue was determined and the effect of tocopherol was found to be very slight. The highest values of carotene and vitamin A were found after feeding 1mg β-carotene, 12 hours in liver and 9 hours in blood. The increased amount of vitamin A in liver 15 hours after feeding varying amounts of β-carotene or vitamin A were compared and it was found that β-carotene was about 40 per cent as active as vitamin A on an I. U. basis.
