RESUMO
Liver is an important item in the human diet. The present study examined the retinol concentration in the fresh livers of Cobb and Ross chicken strains, after freezing at -18 degrees C for 90 days. The retinol dosage in the liver was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The poultry strain significantly influenced liver retinol levels. The mean retinol value in the fresh samples was 6,678.0+/-1,337.7 and 8,324.1+/-1,158.5 microg/100 g in the Cobb and Ross strains, respectively. These values decreased significantly with liver storage time and reached levels that were 44.1% lower than those of fresh liver after 90 days. The results showed a high concentration of retinol in the chicken livers and demonstrated that more than 30 days of storage causes decreased retinol. Despite the losses resulting from freezing, the ingestion of a typical 100 g portion of liver, regardless of the chicken strain analyzed, exceeds the tolerable upper intake level of vitamin A (3,000 microg/day) for adults.