Leading Cereals and their By-products. 123 



''pellagra," which has been traced to the almost exclusive use of 

 com as food by the people. The poverty of the com grain in 

 protein and ash may explain in some measure this ailment. 

 According to investigations, the disease is charged by some to the 

 presence of mould fungi. Fua^ found aspergillus and penicillium 

 fangi in com meal which had caused pellagra, and was able to 

 separate fi'om it several poisonous substances, evidently decom- 

 position products. 2 



161. Corn by-products. — The use of corn in the manufacture of 

 starch, glucose, beer, spirits, etc., has grown enormously of late, 

 resulting in great quantities of by-products of high feeding value 

 for stock. In most of the processes of manufacture the first step 

 is to secure the starch of the corn grain as free as possible from 

 the other constituents. The composition of the corn grain in its 

 different pai-ts and the various by-products left in the manufacture 

 have been studied by Voorhees at the New Jersey Station, a a 

 summary of his findings being as follows: The husk or skin 

 which covers the com kemel consists of two layers, which on 

 removal constitute what is known as corn bran; this contains 

 practically all the crude fiber of the corn grain. Below the husk 

 or skin layer, but near the outside of the grain, comes a layer of 

 cells rich in gluten or protein, yellow in color, and not readily 

 separable from the remainder of the kernel. Most of the pro- 

 tein of the com grain lies in this layer. Near the base of the 

 grain is the germ, which also contains gluten, and is particularly 

 rich in oil and mineral matters. The body of the com grain 

 proper is composed almost entirely of starch, the cells being 

 packed to repletion therewith. Voorhees separated 100 grams of 

 com kernels into skin, germ and starch portions, and analyzing 

 these secured the results presented in the following table: 



1 Pott, Landw. Futterm., 1889, p. 410, foot note. 



* See also Konig, Die mensch. Nahr. u. Genussm., II, 1893, p. 474. 



» Bui. 105. ^ 



