560 EXPEETMENT STATION KECORD. 



The bulletin as a whole constitutes an exhaustive summary and discussion 

 from a statisitcal standpoint of the production and utilization of meat and meat 

 pi'oducts as food. 



Studies of the effect of different methods of cooking upon the thorough- 

 ness and ease of digestion of meat at the University of Illinois, H. S. Grind- 

 ley, T. MojoNNiER. and H. C. Porter (U. .S'. Drpt. Ayr., Office Expt. Stas. Bui. 

 193, pp. 100). — The results of 67 natural and 99 artificial digestion experiments 

 with meat undertaken to determine the ease and thoroughness of digestion of 

 different kinds and cuts of meat cooked in a variety of ways are reported in 

 continuation of earlier work (E. S. R., 17, p. 886). 



The average digestibility of the whole ration when beef I'onnd cooked in 

 different ways was eaten with several other common food materials was 

 protein 93 per cent, fat 98 per cent, and carbohydrates 97 per cent. " These 

 coetficients agree very closely with those found in the average of several hun- 

 dred digestion experiments with varied diet. In these experiments differences 

 in method of cooking the meat had no appreciable effect upon the proportions 

 of nutrients digested and absorbed from the total diet." 



In 44 experiments with beef, veal, mutton, and pork, cooked in various ways 

 and eaten as a part of a simple mixed diet, the a.'erage digestibility of both the 

 protein and fat of the meat alone was 98 per cent. 



" Differences in the results obtained with dift'erent kinds of meat or with the 

 same kind of meat cooked in different ways were too small to be of any practical 

 significance. 



"The relative fatness of the meat had no appreciable effect upon the 

 thoroughness of digestion, the nutrients of very fat meat being digested as 

 completely as those of very lean meat, including that from which in some cases 

 l)art of the visible fat had been removed before cooking. * 



"In short, all the kinds and cuts of meat were very thoroughly digested, 

 whatever the method of cooking. . . . 



" It is couuuonly said that meats of different sorts vary decidedly in digesti- 

 bility; for instance, that red meat is less digestible than white meat or beef 

 than pork, or that a cheaj) cut is less digestible than a tender steak. As regards 

 the thoroughness of digestion the results of the extended series of tests re- 

 ported show that such differences do not exist in any appreciable degree, and 

 that meat of all kinds and cuts is to be classed with the very digestible foods. 



" Ninety-nine artificial digestion experiments made for the purpose of testing 

 the relative ease of digestion of dift"erent kinds and cuts of meat cooked in 

 different ways do not warrant any sweeping deductions. So far as can be 

 judged from the results obtained under the experimental conditions the meat 

 seems to be quite easily digested. About 80 per cent of the meat protein was 

 digested in the first hour and nearly 90 per cent within 2 hours, whatever the 

 kind of meat or the method of cooking, though there were considerable varia- 

 tions from these proportions in the individual experiments. The differences 

 with the several kinds of meat or with meat cooked in a variety of ways are 

 very small or very irregular, and in some cases are apparently contradictory, 

 so it can not be said that they indicate any difference that could be attributed 

 to the factors mentioned." 



Experiments with dogs on the metabolism of energy and matter on dif- 

 ferent diets, W. Falta, F. Grote, and R. Staehelin {Beitr. Chcm. Physiol, u. 

 Path., 9 (1907), No. 8-11. pp. 333-385).— In the investigations reported a modi- 

 fied Jaquet respiration ai)i>aratus was used (E. S. R., 16, p. 287) and the spe- 

 cific dynamic effect of different ])roteids. the i)roportion of energy derived from 

 protein, fat, and carbohydrates, the possibility of replacing protein with carbo- 



