76 



the presence of large or small proportions of bread made from durum 

 wheat flour had little effect on the digestibility of the total cereal 

 food in the ration. This would indicate that the bread made from 

 durum wheat flour had practically the same digestibility as the maca- 

 roni — that is, that it made little difference as regards digestibility 

 whether the flour was made into a paste which was dried, boiled, 

 and eaten or into a dough which was baked. In the tests in which 

 macaroni was eaten without bread on an average 84.3 per cent of 

 the protein was digested and 90.9 per cent of the energy available. 

 Considering both range and average values, the figures obtained for 

 macaroni alone agree quite closely with those obtained for macaroni 

 plus durum wheat flour bread. When all the rations containing 

 macaroni are taken into account it is found that on an average 86.8 

 per cent of the protein was digestible and 92.1 per cent of the 

 energy available. Somewhat lower results were obtained with the 

 durum wheat breakfast food than with the macaroni made from 

 the same lot of wheat, the coefficient of the digestibility of protein 

 being 73.0 per cent and the coeflicient of availability of energy 80.6 

 per cent. 



As will be seen by Table 60 the results obtained with macaroni differ 

 little from the average values obtained with bread made from straight- 

 grade flour. 



As to the cost of nutrients of bread and macaroni, prices differ in 

 different localities and at different times to such an extent that only 

 general comparisons are possible. A pound of dry macaroni retailing 

 for 10 cents contains approximately the same amount of nutrients 

 as are present in 1.3 to 1.4 pounds of bread costing from 6 to 10 

 cents, the difference in nutritive value per pound of the two mate- 

 rials being due largei}-^ to a difference in water content. In other 

 words, macaroni furnishes, pound for pound, somewhat more nutri- 

 tive material than bread but at a higher cost. The use of macaroni in 

 the diet is a matter which depends quite largely upon food habits and 

 the relative cost of materials. In Italy, as is well known, this food is 

 much more commonly used than in the United States. The results of 

 dietary studies made in Chicago^' confirms the belief that after immi- 

 gration to this country the Italians retain in large measure their food 

 habits, and macaroni is still a verj^ important article of diet, replacing 

 bread and other common cereal foods to a considerable extent. Maca- 

 roni and similar Italian pastes are favorite articles of diet in many 

 American families. The experimental and other evidence available 

 confirms the opinion that the Italian pastes are digestible and nutri- 

 tious articles of diet, but that at ordinary prices bread is a somewhat 

 cheaper source of nutrients. The use of macaroni is, however, desir- 

 able because of the variety which it introduces into the menu and the 



aU. S. IXept. Agr., Oflfice of Experiment Stations Bui. 55. 



