The Pantothenic Acid Content of Fish and Shellfish

The pantothenic acid (PA) content in the tissues of various kinds of fish and shellfish has been determined by microbiological assay (SKEGGS, H. R. and WRIGHT, L. D., 1944) using Lactobacillus arabinosus as the test microbe. 1. Among the tissues of fish so far examined, the gonad is most potent in the PA content, and both the dark colored meat and the liver rank next. Whereas, the PA level in the ordinary meat is poor except the case of flounders, whose ordinary meat contains more PA than the liver (Table 1). 2. In the common mackerel, Scomber japonicus, the quantitative ratios of PA in the meat (both ordinary and dark), gonad and liver to the total PA contents are about 70, 10, and 5% respectively (Table 2). 3. The individual differences of the PA content in the ordinary meat and the liver are little among the same species. It seems that the ordinary meat of fish with a greater locomotion contains PA more abundantly than that of bottom fish or less locomotive ones (Table 3). 4. The level of PA in soft parts of bivalves is generally between those in the liver and the ordinary meat of usual fish. It is worth noting that the muscle of abalone is found with very rich PA content (Table 4).