XX REPOItT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



cultural experiment stations have been provided to extend the 

 nutritional studies of marine products to farm animals. 



The number of nutritional studies relatin<^ to and depending on 

 other phases of the bureau's technological investigati(ms, together 

 with demands for nutrition investigations from the industry, have 

 compelled the bureau to establish its own nutrition laboratory. 

 This has been done, and the investigations already under way are 

 taxing the facilities of this laboratory. 



The outstanding contribution, resulting from research in this 

 field of technology, has been the demonstration of the richness of 

 domestic fish oils in vitamins A and D. The quantities of the above- 

 described American fish oils available at present are sufficient to 

 take care of any present or increasing future needs. The increased 

 utilization of these domestic fish oils for medicinal use and for 

 animal feeding will add to the economic wealth of this country, 

 benefiting both our agricultural and fishery industries, and will 

 lessen our dependence on foreign sources of supply. 



Recently considerable interest has been shown in fish flour — a 

 product at the present time being prepared experimentally from 

 the edible parts, including the backbone, of fish remaining from 

 the filleting or packaged fish industry. This product is dried at a 

 low temperature, under vacuum, and ground into a fine meal or 

 flour. It has a pleasant taste, odor, and an attractive appearance. 

 It can be made cheaply, as it comes from raw material which is 

 now either a waste or is converted into fish meal for animal feeding. 

 It may contain as high as 28 to 30 per cent of minerals, consisting 

 largely of calcium and phosphorus. Laboratory investigations and 

 baking tests, conducted by the cereal laboratory of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry and Soils in cooperation with this bureau, have demon- 

 strated that it is possible to incorporate 10 to 25 per cent of this 

 fish flour in bakery products of a palatable and nutritious natui'e 

 designed especially to appeal to children. Fish flour should be of 

 considerable value in bone growth. Arrangements have been made 

 with a public institution to make a special study of fish flour in the 

 diet of children. Cooperation of the District of Columbia medical 

 and dental societies has been extended to the bureau in connection 

 with these tests. 



GLOUCESTER LABORATORY 



The bureau has established a large field laboratory at Gloucester, 

 Mass., for the general conduct of technological research, including 

 the following activities : Refrigeration, smoking, canning, bacteri- 

 ology, by-products, and production methods. This laboratory has 

 been equipped for both chemical and technological research and 

 special equipment will be added from time to time as its research 

 activities are expanded. 



The first experimental projects to be started are: (1) Studies of 

 improvenients in methods of manufacture of fish flour and fish meal ; 

 (2) an investigation of the vitamin potency and chemical charac- 

 teristics of haddock liver oil; (3) chemical studies of the refrigera- 

 tion of fish; (4) methods for smoking fish; and (5) bacteriological 

 studies aimed to imjirove fish products. 



