FOODS — HUMAN NUTBITlON. 761 



l>erceutage of absorption and the weight, volume, color, and texture of the 

 loaf. It was found that the highest protein and gluten content do not neces- 

 sarily give the best loaf. Red Russian and Minnesota 188 gave the best 

 general results. 



Baking tests of patent, straight, and clear flours from spring and winter 

 wheats showed the highest grade in voluino. color, and texture of the loaf 

 from spring patent flour. 



The use of sugar in bread making, A. Herzfeld (Deut. Ziicka-indns., 89 

 {IDlJt). No. .'{8, pp. 960, 961). — Bread prepared with the addition of molasses 

 and other sirups, according to the author, proved very satisfactory. The taste 

 was good and the crumb retained its moist condition. The use of sugar in this 

 form is recommondetl as a means of increasing its consumption. 



Uses of cassava, H. Caracciolo (Bui. Dcpt. Agr. Trinidad and Tobago, l.i 

 (191Ji), No. S3, pp. 278, 279). — Notes are given on the utilization of cassava in 

 the home. 



The manufacture of cassava farine, L. A. Bbunton [Bui. Dcpt. Agr. Trini- 

 dad and Tobago, 13 (Wl-i), No. 83, pp. 277, 278).— The technique employeil in 

 cleaning, grading, draining, sifting, and drying the product is described. 



The composition of Hawaiian fruits and nuts, Axice R. Thompson (Hodcaii 

 Sta. Rpt. 191//, pp. 62-73). — To secure information regarding their chemical 

 composition, analyses were made of normal and fully ripe samples of a large 

 number of fruits and nuts commonly occurring in Hawaii. Among the tropical 

 fruits included were the mango, avocado, banana, breadfruit, Jack fruit, 

 papaya, and guava. 



A bunch of Chinese bananas was i)icked while the fruit was very green and 

 allowed to ripen in the laboratory. Analyses of the fruit were made when 

 very green, when slightly yellow, and when entirely ripe. Papayas were 

 analyzed on the day they were picked from the tree and samples of the fruit 

 were examined in several stages of ripeness, ranging from fmiit which was 

 immature and undersized to that fully ripe. 



During the rii>ening process of the banana it was found that the total solids 

 decrease<l slightly. " The insoluble .solids are almost as high as the total solids 

 in the green banana, but decrease very rapidly on ripening, and in the ripe 

 fruit amount to less than 3 per cent. The ash is high throughout and does not 

 change appreciably. The acid content is but a few tenths of 1 per cent and 

 appears to reach its maximum when the fruit is half ripe, after which it. 

 decrease.s. The protein is fairly high and remains constant." During the 

 ripening of the banana the starch was found to be transformed into sugar. 

 " When green, the starch is exceedingly high, amounting to about 20 per 

 cent, while the sucrose and reducing sugars amount to a few tenths of a per 

 cent. At the half-ripe stage the sugars have increased several per cent and in 

 about the same proportion that the starch has decreased. In the fully ripened 

 stage the sugars have increased greatly and the starch has almost disappeared. 

 The hydrolyzable carbohydrates, other than starch or sucrose, are small in 

 amounts." 



In the case of the papaya the total solids were found to be low throughout 

 the riijening process and incx'eased as the fruit ripened. " The insoluble solids 

 are about 3 per cent in the green fruit and decrease to about 1 per cent in the 

 ripe fruit. The ash, acid, and protein occur in small quantities and are quite 

 constant. The fruit contains not more than a trace of sucrose. The reducing 

 sugars in the green fruit, however, amount to over 2 per cent, but increase 

 rapidly as the fruit increases in size and approaches ripeness. The hydro- 

 Ivzable carbohydrates are almost nil, and fat. fiber, and undetermined matter 



