502. The vitamin A potency of New Zealand butter

Abstract

Results of a survey of the carotene and vitamin A contents, and of the vitamin A potency, of New Zealand butterfat and butter, are presented. The butter samples were drawn from twenty representative commercial factories at fortnightly intervals over three successive years (1946–8). The survey covers the analysis of 1517 samples of fresh butter and 670 samples of stored butter.There were uniform and regularly recurring seasonal variations in both carotene and vitamin A contents of butterfats from all North Island districts. Maximum values were found in the late-autumn/winter/early-spring, and minimum values in the late-summer/early-autumn butterfats. The seasonal trends were thus distinctly different from those which have been reported for northern hemisphere butterfats, for which the maximum values are commonly found during the summer grazing period.The seasonal variations in carotene and vitamin A contents of South Island butterfat were less marked and less consistent than those in the corresponding values for North Island butterfat.