The extent to which cooking may alter the nutritive value of foods has been the subject of many investigations in recent years. A few of these have been concerned*with the effects of cooking on the retention of vitamins of the B-complex in meat. McIntire, Schweigert, Henderson, and Elvehjem (1943) ; McIntire, Schweigert, and Elvehjem (1943) ; McIntire, Schweigert, Herbst, and Elvehjem (1944) ; and Schweigert, McIntire, and Elvehjem (1943) have determined the retention of thiamin, riboflavin, and nicotinic acid during cooking of veal, lamb, pork, variety meats, and cured pork hams. Cover, McLaren, and Pearson (1944) determined the retention of thiamin, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, and pantothenic acid in rare and well-done rib roasts of beef. These investigations indicate that meat in general retains a high percentage of the vitamins of the B-complex during cooking, but that there is some heat destruction of thiamin and pantothenic acid. Since many of the retail cuts of beef require moist heat and longer cooking periods than those used for the rib roasts in Cover's study (1944)) there is further need to demonstrate the extent to which different methods of cooking beef may affect the retention of the B-vitamins.The present investigation was designed to study the retention of nicotinic acid and pantothenic acid when beef was braised, broiled, and fried under standardized conditions representative of good home-cooking procedures. I n the experiments on fried beef liver the retentions of thiamin and riboflavin were also included.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDUREBraising: Pot roasts were used for the braising studies. Heel-ofiround was chosen to represent chunky, boneless cuts and chuck to represent thinner cuts with more surface area. Four pot roasts of each cut were used. The heel-of-round roasts weighed an average of 3.2 pounds and the chuck roasts 3.5 pounds before cooking. The heel-of-round roasts were cooked in a cast-aluminum pan, and the chuck roasts in a cast-iron pan. Both pans were provided with self-basting covers.The cooking was started when the internal temperature of the meat was 10 to 12OC.(50 to 53.6'F.)) by searing for 15 minutes in fat trimmed from the cut, using a full gas flame. After searing, a meat thermometer was inserted into the center of the meat, 25 ml. of water were added, and the pan was immediately covered. Two thermometers fitted into a cork were 'This study is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D.