Rm. Engberg et al., ON THE UTILIZATION, RETENTION AND STATUS OF VITAMIN-E IN MINK (MUSTELA-VISON) UNDER DIETARY OXIDATIVE STRESS, Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition, 69(2-3), 1993, pp. 66-78
Sixteen male scanblack mink kits were challenged for a period of 8 wee
ks with a diet containing high levels of dietary PUFA (25% of dietary
fat, peroxide value: 473 mequ O2/kg fat) derived from whole minced mac
kerel. The selenium content of the experimental diet was sufficient (0
.33 ppm). After intake of increasing amounts of dl-alpha-tocopheryl ac
etate (0, 14.3, 28.6 and 57.2 mg/mJ ME) the apparent digestibility, re
tention as well as status of vitamin E were determined. The apparent d
igestibility of alpha-tocopherol decreased from 77% to 60% with increa
sing dietary alpha- tocopherol concentrations from 14.3 to 57.2 mg/MJ
ME. In vitamin E deficient group the dietary treatment resulted in ste
atosis rather than in myodegeneration, degeneration of the myocardium
and sudden death. The results obtained from this study lead to the con
clusion, that mink are quite resistent to dietary oxidative stress. Vi
tamin E concentrations of 14.3 mg/MJ ME corresponding to 83 mg dl-alph
a-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet were adequate in order to prevent all sig
ns of steatosis. This fact indicates that the allowances for vitamin E
supplementation in mink under practical feeding conditions are suffic
ient.