The Occurrence of ß‐Garotene in Blood Cells from Cattle

Blood cells were prepared from cattle, sucking calves and pigs and the chief part of the hemoglobin was removed by hemolysis. The remains were disintegrated with ultrasonic vibration and extracted with phosphate buffer after which they were freeze‐dried and finally extracted with iso‐octane. Spectrophotometrical registrations of the iso‐octane extracts obtained from blood cells of adult cattle showed that the extracs contained β‐carotene. The concentration of β‐carotene in the disintegrated blood cells was estimated at about 0.5 mg%. In cattle β‐carotene thus occurs not only in the blood plasma, as stated in the literaure, but also in the blood cells. The iso‐octane extracts obtained from blood cells of sucking calves or pigs contained no measurable quantities of β‐carotene on account of which the β‐carotene in the blood cells from adult cattle seems to derive from the fodder.