The objects of this investigation were twofold, first, to investigate the possible effects of dietary tocopherol on composition of depot and liver fat in pigs, and secondly, to attempt to induce clinically recognizable signs of tocopherol deficiency by the prolonged feeding of a tocopherol-deficient diet. Bratzler, Loosli, Krukovsky & Maynard (1950) reported that supplementing a fatdeficient, tocopherol-deficient ration with mixed tocopherols led to the formation of depot fat containing more

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... ic acid than was found in pigs not given the supplement. In these experiments Bratzler et aZ. (1950) fed five weanling male pigs to 75 lb. live weight on the basal ration supplemented, for three of the animals, with 2.87, 55.12 and I 10.2 mg mixed tocopherols/kg body-weightlday, giving at slaughter depot fat of iodine value 640, 65.8 and 61-0 compared with 57.1 and 55.0 for two unsupplemented (control) pigs. In addition, the work of Hove & Seibold (1955) suggested that the amount of liver fat and the proportions of its component polyethenoid fatty acids may be affected by the absence or presence of dietary tocopherols. The problem of muscular dystrophy in pigs has recently been reviewed by Blaxter & McGill(1955) who concluded that the aetiology of the many field cases described in