The Nutritive Value of Lard

DURING the last few years a conisiderable amount of attention has been devoted to the study of the distribution of the so-called fat-soluble accessory factor, or vitamin A, in naturally occurring oils and fats. The results of these investiga- tions tend to show that the oils and fats derived from the animal kingdom are, as a rule, decidedly richer sources of this essential dietary constituent than those prepared from vegetable sources. Most authorities, however, regard lard as an exception, having found it practically devoid of vitamin A. Quite early in the study of the-growth-promoting vitamins McCollum and Davis [1913] observed that butter fat is of much higher nutritive value for growth than lard.