FEEDING TEST OF BETA-APO-2-CAROTENAL ON RAT AND RAINBOW TROUT

Beta-apo carotenal was fed to rat and rainbow trout. The results obtained were as follows. 1. Two different doses, 0.3 and 30mg, of apocarotenal were fed daily to each of vitamin A deficient rats for 19 days. The latter dose accelerated the growth. A cryptoxanthin-like pigment and a colored fatty acid were detected in the livers of the latter group of rats, though apocarotenal was found nowhere in the body of the animal. 2. In case of rainbow trout 0.3 and 30mg of apocarotenal per kilogram of the body weight were fed daily for forty days. No change in body color was observed, though the flesh was tinted with slight brownish orange. The brownish orange pigment, as it was insoluble in organic solvents, seemed to be different from carotenoid. Between two groups of the trout fed with or without apocarotenal, no perceptible difference was seen in the contents of carotenoid and vitamin A in their skin, flesh and liver.