A Comparative Study of the Colorimetric, Vitameter and Biological Tests for Vitamin A**Scientific Section, A. Ph. A., New York meeting, 1937.

Fish Liver and Body Oils

“…Other early investigations concerning the vitamin A and D potency of halibut liver oil are reported by Lovern et al {88, 84)• Bills and co-workers {5) studied the seasonal variations of halibut liver oil and found that the potency varied between 35,000 and 240,000 I. U. of vitamin A and between 900 and 1400 I. U. of vitamin D per gram. In a later publication Bills et al {6) reported the potency of halibut liver oil rendered from fish caught on the Pacific Coast as 41,000 I. U. of vitamin A and 1400 I. U. of vitamin D. Black et al (7) found in a series of twenty-seven oils that the vitamin A potency of halibut liver oils varied from 8000 to 202,000 U. S. P. XI units. According to Pugsley (44) the vitamin D potency of halibut liver oils assayed by him varied from 1100 to 52001.…”

“…Bills (4) found a swordfish liver oil that contained 10,000 I. U. of vitamin D and later (6) stated that swordfish liver oil made from 2806 kg. of livers had a potency of 250,000 I. U. of vitamin A and 14,000 I. U. of vitamin D. Black et al reported 96,700 and 236,000 U. S. P. XI vitamin A units for two samples of swordfish liver oil (7), and found that the vitamin D content of a series of swordfish liver oils ranged from 4050 to 10,300 I. U. per gram {8).…”

“…Black et al (7) found that the vitamin A potency of a series of ten samples of tuna liver oils varied from 32,400 to 131.000 U. S. P. XI units per gram. Bills (4) reported a value of 40,000 I. U. of vitamin D for blue-fin tuna liver oil, and in a later study (6) found 80,000 I. U. of vitamin A and 16.000 I. U. of vitamin D for blue-fin tuna liver oil from New England fish; 36,000 and 61,000 for Japanese blue-fin tuna liver oil; 18,000 and 41,000 for albacore liver oil; 48,000 and 13,000 for yellow-fin tuna liver oil; and 43,000 and 58,000 for striped tuna liver oil.…”

“…Bills (4) reported 1300 I. U. of vitamin D for Chinook salmon liver oil and 400 I. U. for dog salmon liver oil. Black et al (7) reported a vitamin A potency of 150,000 U. S. P. XI units for two samples of salmon liver oil. Lovern and co-workers (33) found that salmon liver oil was vastly richer in vitamin A than cod liver oil.…”