54 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



FIKST BABY FOODS. 



Before baby foods came into fashion our mothers sometimes placed 

 wheat flour in the oven and slightly browned it and from this material 

 by adding hot water made a sort of porridge for the baby. When prop- 

 erly sweetened it was usually eaten with much relish by that individual. 

 Indeed, the older ones of us enjoyed not a little eating what was left after 

 the baby's hunger was satisfied. 



We did not realize in those days that this act of our mothers of brown- 

 ing the flour was really a scientific thing to do. By this operation the 

 starch of the flour was changed chemically and became dextrine which 

 was more readily digestible than starch. Great quantities of starch are 

 converted into dextrine at the present time. This is accomplished by 

 heating the starch to 415 degrees or more F. I can not say how much of 

 the dextrine is used in the manufacture of the baby foods and breakfast 

 foods, or indeed whether any is used. Dextrine is used in the manu- 

 facture of mucilage and in the manufacture of a paste which is used in 

 the printing of calicos, the object being to prevent the "running" of the 

 colors. 



A gum also is made which is known as "American gum'' from which 

 is manufactured the mucilage which we find on postage stamps, envelopes, 

 •paper wrappers, and the like. 



Our texts in physiology teach us that all starchy foods especially, 

 should be thoroughly chewed before swallowing, in order that the saliva 

 acting upon the starch may convert it into sugar before it reaches the 

 stomach. From the stomach this sugar is absorbed through the walls 

 into the circulation and is ready for the use of the body. If the starch 

 is not changed by properly mixing with the saliva before it reaches the 

 stomach, it remains undigested and therefore unabsorbed until it passes 

 from the stomach into the lower digestive tract. 



ARTIFICIAL DIGESTION. 



The manufacturer has learned to change the starch to sugar artific- 

 ially. He accomplishes this result by treating the starch with dilute 

 acid; the resulting sugar is known as glucose or grape sugar. Great 

 quantities of starch are so treated. One large factory alone uses ten 

 thousand bushels of corn daily and converts the whole starch product 

 into glucose syrup. Glucose sugar is not so sweet as cane sugar— not 

 over two-thirds as sweet. Most of our table syrups are composed wholly 

 or in part of glucose syrup. This accounts for the lack of sweetness 

 which is often observed in such syrups. "Karo," so largely advertised 

 at the present time, and which is a very excellent table syrup, is com- 

 posed of ninety per cent, of glucose syrup and ten per cent, of cane or 

 sorghum syrup. 



Glucose is usually put on the market in the form of syrup of which 

 there are several grades and is worth from one to one and one-half cents 

 per pound wholesale. It is used largely in the manufacture of the cheaper 

 candies. 



Glucose sugar is also manufactured and can be had on the markets. 



