$02 BREAD 



Since the enrolment of his Specification, however, M. Mego Mouries has mado 

 an improvement, which simplifies considerably his original process, according to 

 which the destruction of the cerealin, as we saw, was effected by ordinary yeast ; that 

 is to say, by alcoholic fermentation. The last improvement consists in preventing 

 cerealin from becoming a lactic or glucosic ferment, by precipitating it with common 

 salt, and not allowing it time to become a ferment. In effect, in order that cerealin 

 may produce the objectionable effects alluded to, it must first pass into the state of 

 ferment, and, as all nitrogenous substances require a certain time of incubation to 

 become so, ' if, on the one hand, cerealin be precipitated by means of common salt, 

 the glucosic action is neutralised ; whilst, on the other hand, the levains being mado 

 with flour containing no cerealin that is to say, with best white flour if a short time 

 before baking households or seconds are added thereto, it is clear that time will be 

 wanting for it (the ferment) to become developed or organised, and that, under this 

 treatment, the bread will remain white. 



The application of these scientific deductions will be bettor understand by the fol- 

 lowing description of the process : 



100 parts of clean wheat are ground and divided as follows : 



Best whites for leaven 40 - 



White groats, mixed with a few particles of bran . 38'0 



White groats, mixed with a larger quantity of bran . 8'0 



Bran (not used) 15'5 



Loss 0-5 



102-0 



These figures vary, of course, according to the kind of wheat used, according to 

 seasons, and according to the description of mill and the distance of the millstones 

 used for grinding. 



'In order to convert these products into bread,' says M. Mege Mouries, 'a 

 leaven is to be made by mixing the 40 parts of best flour above alluded to, with 20 

 parts of water, and proceeding with it according to the mode and custom adopted in 

 each locality. This leaven, no matter how prepared, being ready, the 8 parts of groats 

 mixed with the larger quantity of bran above alluded to, are diluted in 45 parts of 

 water in which 0'6 parts of common salt have been previously dissolved, and the 

 whole is passed through a sieve which allows the flour and water to pass through, but 

 retains and separates the particles of bran. The watery liquid so obtained has a white 

 colour, is flocculent, and loaded with cerealin ; it no longer possesses the property of 

 liquefying gelatinous starch, and weighs 38 parts (the remainder of the water is 

 retained in the bran, which has swelled up in consequence, and remains on the sieve). 

 The leaven is then diluted with that water, which is loaded with best flour, and is 

 used for converting into dough the 38 parts of white groats above alluded to ; the 

 dough is then divided into suitable portions, and after allowing it to stand for one 

 hour, it is finally put in the oven to be baked. As the operations just described take 

 place at a temperature of 25 C. ( = 77 F.) ^ one Qour during which the dough is 

 left to itself, is not sufficient for the cerealin to pass into the state of ferment, and the 

 consequence is the production of white bread. Should, however, the temperature bo 

 higher than that, or wore the dough allowed to be kept for a longer time before 

 baking, the bread produced, instead of being white, would be so much darker, as the 

 contact would have lasted longer. By this process, 100 parts in weight of wheat 

 yield 136 parts of dough, and, finally, 115 parts in weight of bread' instead of 100, 

 which the same quantity of wheat would have yielded in the usual way. This is 

 supposing that the grinding of the wheat has been effected with close set millstones ; 

 if ground in the usual manner, the average yield does not exceed 112 parts in weight 

 of bread. 



The substances which are now almost-exclusively employed for adulterating bread 

 are, water, alone or incorporated with rioe, or water and alum ; other substances, how- 

 over, are or have been also occasionally used for the same purpose. 



This retention of water- into -broad is secured by undertaking, by the introduction 

 of rice, of potatoes, and other foculae, and of alum. 



Underbaking is an operation which consists of keeping in the loaf the water which 

 otherwise would escape while baking ; it is, therefore, a process for selling water at 

 the price of broad. It is done by introducing the dough into an oven unduly heated, 

 whereby the gases contained in the dough at once expand, and swell it up to tho 

 ordinary dimensions, whilst a deep burnt crust is immediately afterwards formed ; 



1 Communication of M. Jdtegc Mouri&s to the Acad&nie des Sciences, January 1868. 



