The inactivation of thiamin by Bracken(Pteris aquilina)

✍ Scribed by And, Brynmor Thomas ;Walker, H. F.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1949
• Weight: 487 KB
• Volume: 68
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0368-4075
• DOI: 10.1002/jctb.5000680102

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The anti‐thiamin effect of bracken, noted by Weswig, Freed and Haeg, has been confirmed. Rats on a diet containing 40% bracken, and providing adequate amounts of thiamin, lost weig it and died within thirty days. Control groups receiving large supplementary doses of thiamin made continuous increases in bodyweight. The hearts and livers of rats which had succumbed to a bracken‐containing diet were shown to be of abnormally low thiamin content. An incubation technique developed by the authors, showed that bracken had the capacity to inactivate large amounts of vitamin.