FOODS NUTEITION. 893 



,5 [1902), No. 11, pp. 122,5-1265, fig. 1).—The authors discuss critically the usual 

 methods of testing the baking quality of flour and believe tliat this may be satisfac- 

 torily learned by the aid of laboratory baking experiments. The importance of 

 working with dough of uniform consistency and using zymin as a ferment is insisted 

 upon. According to the authors, the volume of the sample of baked bread may be 

 best determined by coating the bread with paraffin and noting the amount of water 

 displaced in a piknometer of suitable form (which is described), corrections of course 

 heing introduced for tlu' amount of itaraffin adliering to the l)read. 



Examination of artificially colored barley grits, E. Kkamek [ZtscJir. Ijindw. 

 Versuclisw. Oesterr., 5 {1902), No. 4, PP- oSS, 589). — Analytical data are reported and 

 discussed. 



Desiccated meat, F. B. Guthrie (^1^?-. Gaz. New South Wale.'^, 13 {1902), No. 12, 

 pp. 1248, 1249). — Methods of drying meat so that it can be reduced to a powder, 

 which may be stored without deterioration, were studied, as well as the digestibility 

 of such products. The most satisfactory results were obtained when meat, ground 

 in an ordinary sausage cutter, was spread on a fairly open sieve in a drying oven. 

 This permitted the melted fat to run away and, it is said, greatly expedited drying. 



"The oven was left open so as to allow free access of air, and after 4 hours drying, 

 at a temperature of 65 C. to 70° G. (and which never rose above 70° C. ) the prod- 

 uct was sufficiently dry to be readily reduced to a fairly fine powder in an ordinary 

 mill. The i)roduct obtained at this temperature is a light-colored, slightly reddish 

 jiowder containing 11 to 12 per cent water, of an agreeable odor and exceedingly 

 palatable, especially if a little salt is added. It keeps perfectly in stoppered vessels, 

 A sample prepared in a very similar way in June, and placed in an ordinary corked 

 flask, is still perfectly sweet 4 months later, though the cork has been frequently 

 removed during that time. If packed in air-tight tins, or in tins from which all air 

 has been excluded, there is every reason to suppose that the powder will keej) for 

 an indefinite period. The time taken in drying could no doubt be considerably 

 shortened if a fairly rapid current of dry air were passed through the drying chamber 

 during the process. This was not found practii'al>le with the appliances avai]al)le, 

 as it was impossible to prevent the accumulation of moisture on the walls and ceiling 

 of the oven." 



As shown by artifical digestion experiments 96 per cent of the dry matter of the 

 desiccated beef was digestible as compared with 96.6 per cent from fresh raw beef. 



Examination of meat juice, R. Vogel {Miinchen. Med. Wchnschr., 1902, No. 17, 

 p. 6; <(l>s. III. Ztschr. Flci'^cJi. u. Milckhyg., 12 {1902), No. 11, p. 5.5^).— According to 

 the exiieriments reported, juice can not be extracted normally, even under high 

 pressure, from freshly slaughtered, i. e., living muscular tissue. When muscle cells 

 die their proteid contents begin to liquefy, the amount of li(iuefaction being pro- 

 ]K)rtional to the temperature. Meat juice is regarded as a product of ])ost-mortem 

 proteolysis, that is, as due to a form of autolysis of the muscles and not to decom- 

 position or to the formation of acid. It is considered as a part of an extended 

 cleavage of the protein molecule. Unorganized ferments are regarded as the cause 

 of this muscle autolysis, although they were not identified. The characteristics of 

 the fresh meat juice are discussed and its food value is pointed out, attention being 

 directed especially to the fa(;t that it is useful when less than ordinary work should 

 be required of the digestive organs and a liquid diet is indicated. 



Identification of horse flesh by means of a specific serum, G. Groning 

 {Zisdir. FIciHcli. v. Mildihi/g., 13 {1902), No. 1, pp. i--^).— According to the author 

 the subcutaneous injection of the juice of horse meat produces a serum in the blood 

 of rabbits which serves for the identification of liorse meat when it has not been 

 cooked or heated. When even a trace of solution containing horse flesh is added to 

 the clear yellow serum a cloudiness is observed and later a precipitate. Precautions 

 necessai'y in the use of the serum are noted. 



