592 



voegtlin: role of vitamines in nutrition 



erates carbon dioxide from the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) 

 and the latter is transformed into sodium carbonate, a strong 

 alkali. The evolution of C0 2 causes the bread to rise. Recent 

 experiments by Sullivan and myself have clearly demonstrated 

 the destructive action of alkalies, under certain conditions, on vit- 

 amines. These substances lose their physiological activity when 

 exposed to alkalies, this being especially true at higher tempera- 

 ture. Corn bread made from old-fashioned (whole) corn meal, 

 sweet milk, and soda, when forming the exclusive diet of chickens 

 leads to symptoms of polyneuritis, whereas, corn bread prepared 



TABLE 4 



from corn meal, sweet milk, and salt (NaCl) does not give rise 

 to any symptoms and fowls seem to live in perfect health. 

 Chickens which have developed polyneuritis on the corn bread 

 made with sweet milk and soda are cured by the administration 

 of vitamines prepared from various foods. Hence, we may con- 

 clude that corn bread prepared by means of baking soda, without 

 the addition of butter-milk, or substances of an acid character 

 (cream of tartar), is deficient in antineuritic vitamines and that 

 this deficiency is due to the destructive action of the alkali (baking 

 soda) on the vitamines which were originally contained in these 

 foods. 



The preceding table (Table 4) illustrates the destructive action 

 of baking soda on the vitamine content of corn bread. Ten 



