Progress of' Foreign Science. 405 



' Analytical examination of tivo species of. Flour, designated under 

 the names of Wheat Flour of Odessa, and French Wheat Flour. 

 By M. Henry, — The Odessa flour was of a dirty yellowish hue, 

 with scarcely any direct taste, but leaving in the mouth a pow- 

 dery after-taste ; its smell was not unpleasant, yet approaching 

 to that of dust. It was somewhat rough to the touch, of little 

 unctuosity, and contained many small yellowish points. The 

 French flour was of a fine white, a fresh smell, an agreeable 

 taste, and softer than the other to the touch. 



A paste was made with eacu of these flours and water; The 

 Odessa specimen absorbed 60 parts of water per cejit. ; the 

 French 45 parts. The Odessa paste had a dirty yellowish 

 aspect, it was elastic and tough ; when bruised between the 

 teeth, it developed a bitter taste. The paste of the French 

 flour was greyish white, elastic, less tenacious than the former, 

 and of a sweet taste. 



These doughs were separately washed under a slender stream 

 of water, kneading them continually in the hands. By this 

 means all the gluten was obtained, which was well washed, 

 weighed, dried in a stove, heated to 40° centigrade (104° Fah- 

 renheit), and weighed anew. It lost thus two-thirds of its 

 weight. The gluten obtained from the Odessa wheat, weight 

 36.5 when fresh, and 12 in the dry state. This gluten had a 

 greyish aspect, was very elastic, very tough, and appeared to 

 be of a very good quality. The gluten extracted from the 

 French flour weighed 24.5 fresh, and 8 dry; it was greyish, 

 elastic, and tough. It remained in water without changing, for 

 a much longer time than that of the Odessa flour. 



The water of the washings of the flours, containing the starch, 

 was filtered in order to separate this principle, which washed, 

 dried, and weighed, presented the following characters for each 

 flour : 



The starch of the Odessa wheat was greyish white, rough to 

 the touch, and gritty under the teeth ; it weighed 66. That of 

 the French wheat was more decidedly white, and less harsh to 

 the touch ; it weighed 70, the water of the washings, aflforded 

 no blue precipitate with tincture of iodine ; it was slightly 

 opaque. The water from the Odessa wheat had a bitterish 

 taste, not found in that of the French. This water, exposed to 

 a gentle heat, deposited a matter which was recognised to be 

 albumen. That of the'Odessa washings evaporated to dryness, 

 at the heat of a salt-water bath, afforded a residuum of a red- 

 dish-brown, and the other of a yellowish-brown. '\\\es,e residua 

 were viscid, and a little saccharine. That of the Odessa grain 

 was also slightly bitter. Treated with water to separate the albu- 

 men, the liquid was evaporated anew to the consistence of an 

 extract. 



