Abstract:
Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration of 15- to 22-week-old turkeys was found to be linearly related to dietary all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate at levels ranging from 10 to 100 mg/kg. However, in 4-week-old poults a plateau was observed at a level of 30 mg alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet. Increasing soybean oil level in diets containing 10, 50, and 100 mg alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg from .5 to 3.0% significantly (P less than .05) elevated plasma alpha-tocopherol. The latter was not affected by the type of dietary fat (soybean vs. tallow). Supplementary cholic acid (.075 - .1%) in diets containing 20 mg alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg elevated plasma alpha-tocopherol slightly but significantly (P less than .05); however, higher levels of this bile acid had no effect. Increasing dietary selenium supplementation from .1 to 1.1 ppm did not affect this parameter either. alpha-Tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate, when dissolved in soybean oil or in ethoxyquin at levels equivalent to 40 mg/kg diet, had a similar effect on plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration.