Water soluble vitamins

Question 1

What are vitamins?

Answer 1

Vital amines

Grouped according to function

Water soluble vs fat soluble

Essential - must be consumed in diet

Question 2

Water soluble vitamins

Answer 2

Vitamin C

B group Vitamins:

• Thiamin
• Riboflavin
• Nicotinamide
• Pyridoxine
• Pantotheric acid
• Biotin
• Folic acid
• Choline
• Cyanocobalamin

Question 3

Fat soluble vitamins

Answer 3

Vitamin A (retinol)

Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)

Vitamin E (tocopherol)

Vitamin K (phylloquin one)

Question 4

Vitamin C deficiency

Answer 4

Anaemia, exhaustion, spontaneous bleeding, swelling of the limbs, particular rash, ulceration of the gums, loss of teeth, reduced rate of wound healing

Can be fatal

Easily treated with oral or intravenous vitamin C

Question 5

Vitamin C

Answer 5

Colourless, crystallin water soluble compound

Acidic and strong reducing properties

Heat stable in acid solution

Strongly decomposed in alkaline conditions

Destroyed by exposure to light

Large amounts in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, some berries

Synthetic ascorbic acid readily available commercially

Role in many oxidation-reduction mechanisms in living cells

Important role in collagen metabolism

Role in iron metabolism
Antioxidant – in conjunction with vitamin E protect against free radicals

A dietary essential compound ONLY for:
Humans
Primates
Guinea pig
Red vented bul bul bird and fruit eating bats (and apparently some fish)

Question 6

B group vitamins

Answer 6

All water soluble
Not stored in the tissues in appreciable amounts

Most are components of coenyzmes

Deficiency causes vague poor growth symptoms ‘ill thrift’

Question 7

Thiamin (B1)

Answer 7

Very water soluble

Fairly stable in mildly acidic solutions

Decomposes quickly in neutral solution

Widely distributed in foods

Outer layer of seeds and the growing areas of roots, shots and leaves

Large amounts in fermentation products

Animal products – egg yolk, liver, kidney, pork meat

Question 8

Thiamin (B1) deficiency - Most species

Answer 8

Loss of appetite, emaciation muscular weakness, dysfunction of the nervous system

Question 9

Thiamin (B1) deficiency - Pigs

Answer 9

Loss of appetite, growth, vomiting

Question 10

Thiamin (B1) deficiency - Chicks

Answer 10

Poor appetite, emaciated, polyneuritis

Question 11

Thiamin (B1) deficiency - Ruminants

Answer 11

Bacterial synthesis in rumen (but may be affected by thiaminase) can lead to cerebrocorticol necrosis (CCN)

Question 12

Riboflavin (B vitamin)

Answer 12

Yellowish crystalline substance – fluoresces in aqueous solution

Destroyed by alkali

Unstable in light

Occurs in all biological materials

Can be synthesised by green plants, yeasts, fungi and some bacteria

Good sources - yeast, liver, milk, green leafy crops

Cereal grains are POOR source

Question 13

Riboflavin deficiency - Ruminants

Answer 13

Unlikely if have rumen (synthesised there) but in young calves and lambs loss of appetite, diarrhoea and lesions in mouth corners

Question 14

Riboflavin deficiency - Pigs

Answer 14

Poor appetite, vomiting, skin and eye abnormalities (prevents premature birth in sows)

Question 15

Riboflavin deficiency - Chicks

Answer 15

Poor growth, curled toe paralysis, reduced hatchability, ‘clubbed down’

Question 16

Nicotinamide (B vitamin)

Answer 16

Stable, not easily destroyed by heat, acids, alkali or oxidation

Can be synthesised from tryptophan in the body but efficiency of conversion is poor

Cats do not need to produce as natural diet is well supplied

Rich sources – liver, yeast, groundnut and sunflower meals

Milk and eggs contain the precursor tryptophan

Cereal grains poor source as the vitamin in present in a bound form

Question 17

Nicotinamide deficiency - Pigs

Answer 17

Poor growth, anorexia, vomiting, dermatitis

Question 18

Nicotinamide deficiency - fowls

Answer 18

Bone disorders, feathering abnormalities, mouth inflammation

Question 19

Vitamin B6

Answer 19

Exists in three intraconvertible forms (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine)

Present in plants as pyridoxine

Animal products may also contain pyridoxal and pryidoamine

Widely distributed in yeast, pulses, cereal grains, liver and milk

Coenzyme function

Question 20

Vitamin B6 deficiency - Pigs

Answer 20

Reduce food intake and develop anaemia

Question 21

Vitamin B6 deficiency - Chicks

Answer 21

Develop jerky movements

Question 22

Folic acid

Answer 22

Widely distributed in nature, green leafy vegetables, cereals and extracted oilseed meals are rich sources

Reasonably stable in storage when dry

Readily degraded by moisture, high temperatures, ultraviolet light

A certain type of anaemia could be cured in humans by treatment with yeast or liver extracts

Question 23

Folic acid deficiency - Chicks and young turkeys

Answer 23

Poor growth, anaemia, poor bone development, poor egg hatchability

Question 24

Biotin

Answer 24

Widely distributed in foods

Rich in liver, milk, yeast, oilseeds and vegetables

Bioavailability can be low due to binding (barley and wheat) in chicks and pigs

Bioavailability high in maize and oilseeds

Involved in metabolism

Question 25

Biotin deficiency - Pigs

Answer 25

Foot lesions, hair loss, dry scaly skin – in growers growth rate decreased and in sows reduced reproductive performance

Question 26

Biotin deficiency - Poultry

Answer 26

Reduced growth, dermatitis, leg bone abnormalities, cracked feet, fatty liver and kidney syndrome

Question 27

Biotin deficiency - Ruminants and horses

Answer 27

Not dietary essential but can improve hoof health

Question 28

Biotin deficiency

Answer 28

Can be induced by feeding raw egg whites (avidin)

Avidin combines with the vitamin and prevents absorption

Certain Streptomyces spp bacteria present in soil and manure produce compounds that have the same action

Heating inactivates these antagonist proteins

Question 29

B12

Answer 29

The most complex of all the vitamins

Ring structure with a cobalt atom in the centre

Cyano group attached to the cobalt

Acts as coenzyme in metabolism

Considered to be synthesised exclusively by microorganisms

Animal origin only