Nutrient content of liquid milk

Abstract

Summary A survey was undertaken to update and extend available information on the vitamin content of pasteurized milk as produced at processing dairies in mainland UK and to investigate regional, seasonal and breed effects. The concentration of total retinol in milk from non-Channel Island (NCI) breeds averaged 61·9 βg/100g in summer and 41·2 βg/100g in winter. Concentrations of β-carotene were 31·5 and 10·5 βg/100g in summer and winter respectively. Concentrations of retinol in milk from Channel Island (CI) breeds were similar, but concentrations of β-carotene were on average 3 times higher. The concentration of vitamin D 3 in milk from NCI breeds was 0·033 βg/100g in summer and 0·026 βg/100g in winter. There was no marked seasonal variation in the mean concentration of total vitamin C (14·5 βg/ml). Values for the concentration of B vitamins (βg/ml) were: folic acid 0·060, vitamin B 12 0·0042, riboflavin 1·78, nicotinic acid 0·71, pantothenic acid 3·60, biotin 0·020, thiamin 0·46 and vitamin B 6 0·61. Seasonal variation in the concentration was most marked for folic acid (c.v. 17·4%) and to a lesser extent for vitamin B 12 (c.v. 10·3%). The only breed differences in the B vitamin content were for riboflavin and folic acid, the mean values obtained for milk from CI breeds being respectively 20 and 10 % higher than those from NCI breeds.