Semi-Centennial Volume. 103 



War Bread — Corn Starch and High Protein Flour Mixtures 



for Baking. 



L. E. Sayke. 



Under present-day conditions, with large areas unproductive through 

 the ravages of war, and a shortage of cereal crops in other localities, 

 the question of bread production is a most serious one. In America we 

 have depended largely upon wheat to supply this staple food. Corn, 

 rye, and other grains have been used but sparingly, or only locally. In 

 Europe white bread is almost unknown. Potato starch, rice flour, barley 

 flour, corn meal, and other substitutes are being mixed with their bread. 

 In Great Britain, under present laws, this mixture ranges from twenty 

 to fifty per cent. This situation is bringing home to America the neces- 

 sity for radically changing her diet. If each American will use for food 

 during the year 1918 not less than two bushels of corn, this will release 

 200 million bushels of wheat, which, with the surplus already available, 

 will allow us to export to Europe over 300 million bushels. This will win 

 the war. 



Corn has always been the staple article for bread making in certain 

 sections of our country. Of late it is finding more and more favor as 

 a food stuff. It is replacing wheat as the source of other commercial 

 products, as well as adding other food stuffs to our dietary. Formerly 

 starch was made entirely from wheat and potatoes. In every pharmaco- 

 poeia in the world, except that of the United States, wheat starch is offi- 

 cial. So it was here in the United States until 1890, when corn starch was 

 made to take the place of wheat starch, and the former became recog- 

 nized for the first time as official. Other corn products which may be 

 mentioned in this connection are corn syrup and corn oil. The former 

 is well established in our dietary, while the latter is destined to form 

 a most important addition thereto. 



Investigators have recently attacked the question of our bread supply 

 in the light of these conditions, and have turned their attention to 

 various substitutes for wheat flour and to mixtures of wheat and other 

 flours. The question as stated in an article by Prof. E. H. S. Bailey is, 

 "Do these substitutes fully take the place of wheat, and would it be wise 

 for us to adopt their use in the interest of economy?" He then refers 

 to the use of potatoes in food flour. He says: "If we compare dried 

 wheat and dried potatoes, i. e., the products when all the water is 

 eliminated, we find the wheat is three times as rich in proteins as po- 

 tatoes. On this account, when we diminish the wheat content in bread, 

 we lower the protein content. In other words, we lower the content of 

 the food which furnishes energy." Doctor Bailey also refers to the sug- 

 gestion of others that corn flour might well be substituted for wheat 

 when the latter is scarce. He remarks that "to a certain extent this is 

 true, but here again is a product not so well adapted for bread making 

 unless used with other cereals when bread is raised by means of yeast. 

 Corn is not lacking in proteins and contains in addition a relatively 

 large percentage of fat. The attitude of the government has thus far 

 been against the use of mixed flours, or tho.se which contain rye or corn 



