Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2007
1. Thirty-four cross-bred newborn lambs were used. A high-protein diet (25% protein calories) was supplemented daily with retinyl palmitate (range, 13.75–440 μg/kg live weight 24 h), or with β-carotene (range, 68.5–2200 μg/kg live weight 24 h) for 21 days.
2. Live-weight gain was not increased by supplementing the basal diet with either retinyl palmitate or β-carotene.
3. The relative weights of β-carotene and retinyl palmitate (expressed as retinol) that were required to produce equivalent concentrations of retinol in the serum varied from 5:1 to 25:1, and for the liver (retinal + retinyl esters, expressed as retinol) the ratio varied from 3:1 to 9:1.