Vitamin A concentration in calf livers: results of a field survey

In five slaughterhouses across Switzerland, 40 calf livers were bought from the slaughter chain to determine vitamin A content. An additional investigation with ten calves fattened at the research station with 12’600 IU vitamin A per kg of feed dry matter was carried out at the same time.<br>Vitamin A concentration of the 40 slaughterhouse calf livers avveraged 381 ± IU per g of liver on a fresh matter basis. The contents ranged from 119 IU to 1’698 IU per g of liver. In comparison to an earlier survey (1’134 ± 453 IU/g liver), the vitamin A cotent in calf livers decreased considerably. the average vitamin A content in the livers of the ten calves fattened at the research station reached 257 ± 45 IU per g fresh liver. The finding supports the conclusion that a dietary vitamin A supply of 12’600 IU per kg of feed dry matter does not result in a vitamin A accumulation in the liver, wihch is undesirable from a human dietetics point of view.