FOODS — HUMAN NUTRITIOIT. 563 



gested in the literature, but the com meal used in making the batter. One 

 organism was isolated which in pure culture produces the gas necessary to 

 properly aerate bread. This bacterium seems to be a member of the Coli group 

 and was never found in batters that were heated to 75° C. It in all prob- 

 ability belongs to the same group as the organism described by Wolffln and 

 Lehman, which they call Bacillus levans. This organism could be propagated 

 in liquid media, such as milk, or could be grown in a batter and subsequently 

 dried, to be used in the preparation of bread. 



" When the liquid used in making the batter is taken sufficiently hot to 

 bring the temperature of the batter to 75° C. or higher, certain spore-bearing 

 organisms prevail whicli readily produce the gas necessary to aerate bread. 

 These bacteria soon lose their gas-producing power when kept in liquid media 

 or when transferred to fresh media at intervals of 12 to 24 hours. From 

 this fermenting batter no culture was isolated that retained its ability to 

 produce gas when kept in the liquid state. A dry product consisting for the 

 most part of starchy material was prepared, however, which could be used 

 at will in making uniform bread." 



Bread made with leaven, i. e., the "Sauerteig" method, differs from salt- 

 rising bread in that the leavening is due to yeasts and not to bacteria and it 

 is a question whether in bread making by this method the bacteria present, 

 some of which are gas-formers, are desirable or not. The 2 breads differ 

 also in that salt-rising bread is made from fi-esh materials each time, while 

 in making leavened bread a portion of the dough is saved to start the fermen- 

 tation of the next baking. 



"The gases produced by the salt-rising bacteria, as found in these experi- 

 ments, consist of nearly § hydrogen and rather more than J carbon dioxid 

 and no hydrocarbons. 



" The losses of materials, due to decomposition and volatilization of some 

 of the constituents, are much smaller in salt-rising bread than in bread made 

 with yeast, and the losses in the latter vary with the amount of fermentation 

 to which it is subjected. The difference in the losses of materials in the prep- 

 aration of the 2 kinds of bread is to be explained by the fact that (1) 

 there is no alcohol found in the former; (2) that owing to inherent difference 

 in the nature of the ferments involved it is subjected to far less fermentation ; 

 and (3) the gases are mucli lighter." 



The occurrence of some organic bases in flesh of wild rabbits, K. Toshi- 

 MURA {Biochem. Ztschr., 37 (1911), No. 5-6, pp. /f77-Jt81). — According to the 

 author's study, the flesh of wild rabbits contained 2 gm. creatin. 0.04 gm. 

 hypoxanthin, and 2.23 gm. carnosin per kilogram. Xanthin was also present. 



The lutein of hen's egg yolk, R. Willstatter and H. H. Escher (Hoppe- 

 Seyler's Ztschr. Physiol. Chem., 76 (1912), No. 2-3, pp. 2U-225, pi. i).— Accord- 

 ing to the authors' studies, lutein from egg yolk is identical in chemical compo- 

 sition and properties with zanthophyll and with lutein of vegetable origin. It 

 differs from carotin with reference to its behavior when treated with ethyl 

 alcohol or methyl alcohol and gasoline. 



The banana as a foodstuff, K. Thomas (Arch. Anat. u. Physiol., Physiol. 

 Abt., 1910, Sup., pp. 29-38; ahs. in Zentbl. Physiol., 25 (1911). No. 21, p. 

 1001). — Accqrding to the author, the degree of ripeness of the banana influences 

 the thoroughness of digestion, 11.4 per cent of overripe fruit, 8.93 per cent 

 of ripe fruit, and 22.32 per cent of half ripe fruit remaining unabsorbed. 

 Bananas can not long be taken with relish when they constitute the sole article 

 of diet. The author does not regard the banana as a general foodstuff since 

 nitrogen equilibrium is not obtainable with it. 



