25 



Sample No. 47 — Flaked Barley .2 digestion experiments. 



" 37— Cornmeal 3 



" 9— Orange Meat 2 



» 43_Force 2 



" 49—Norka 2 



All the foods excepting- the last three were prepared by stirring- the 

 meal into boiling water and continuing the boiling for twenty minutes. 

 The two samples of rolled oats and the two samples of farinas were also 

 cooked for eight hours and carried through digestion experiments. In 

 the following table the results obtained are averaged with those got from 

 the short cooking period. Later on the results of the short and lonn- 

 cooking periods will be discussed separately. The barley Sample No. 46 

 is a new food, and is prepared by sprouting the grain, then drying, ard 

 flaking. The germination causes the breaking down of insoluble starch, 

 proteids, and even fat into simpler compounds, which are more readily 

 digested. Provided the germination has been allowed to proceed far 

 enough, it would be very natural to suppose that this food would be more 

 easily absorbed. It is being highly recommended as a food for infants and 

 for people with weak digestion. 



The above results show that there is no very wide difference in the 

 digestibility of the foods investigated. In all the foods the carbohydrates 

 are the most thoroughly digested and the protein the least. Over 96 per 

 cent, of the organic matter of the total diet in the experiments with 

 standard oatmeal, wheat germ, and cornmeal was digested. The wheat 

 farinas are next in order, with the rolled oats and flaked barleys following 

 closely. Force stands at the bottom of the list with 91.9 per cent, of 

 the total organic matter digested. The differences in the availability of 

 the heat of combustion, or energy, are also comparatively slight, and the 

 foods rank in approximately the same order as in the digestibility of the 

 organic matter. 



The second part of the table gives the percentage digestibility of the 

 different nutrients of the foods alone, calculated in the manner described 

 earlier. Here again there is no wide difference in the amount of the vari- 

 ous nutrients absorbed by the body and the foods rank in about the same 

 order as when the total diet was considered. 



Taking the results as a whole, it is apparent that the nutritive value 

 of the oat, wheat, barley, and corn products is nearly equal. The granu- 

 lated oatmeal is apparently not as well digested as the standard form. 

 This may be due to the fact that the latter generally contains more of the 

 germ of tne grain than the former. The two preparations of rolled oats 

 are practically equal in digestibility and in availability of the energy. 

 This is also true with reference to the farinas, but the wheat germ, which 

 was a good sample and true to name, is of slightly greater value than 

 the farinas, and much superior to the rolled wheat. It is evident that of 

 the two samples flaked barley No. 46, the one that was germinated in its 



