46 



THE PROTEIN ELEMENT IN NUTRITION 



the flour. Thus Hutchison compares the different preparations 

 as follows : 



There are factors, however, which tend to counteract this loss 

 of protein : thus the very whitest flour " patents " is generally 

 used for fancy bread and pastry ; the ordinary flour is a blend of 

 different wheats selected as the most suitable for bread-making. 

 The suitability depends on " strength," which in its turn depends 

 on the percentage of gluten ; so that the protein element can never 

 fall very low, otherwise the flour would not make bread at all. 

 Again, according to some authorities, the protein content of 

 different wheats varies enormously,* so that the exclusion of the 

 germ would make little difference in comparison with the differ- 

 ence between flour made from different varieties of wheat. 



Quite recently an outcry has arisen against the composition of 

 the fine white bread at present placed on the market, and a demand 

 made for the improvement of the finer high-grade flours, particu- 

 larly in their nitrogenous and mineral constituents. As already 

 pointed out, with the present processes of milling about 70 per 

 cent, of the wheat grain is utilized as flour. In the improvement 

 advocated a standard bread was demanded, the proposal being 

 that not less than 80 per cent, of the grain should be made use of 

 in the manufacture of flour, and that this should contain the germ 

 of the wheat grain and the semolina. 



The advantages claimed for "standard" bread are It contains 

 a higher proportion of iron and phosphorus in a state of com- 

 bination capable of absorption ; other mineral constituents are 

 also higher, which is a point of great importance in the formation 

 of bone and teeth. It has not been impoverished by the loss of 

 the germ and part of the outer layers, so that it contains a higher 

 percentage of protein and fat than white bread. The presence 

 of a small portion of the bran acts as a mechanical stimulus to 

 the digestive tract, thus lessening the tendency to constipa- 



* No great differences in the protein content of wheat were met with in the 

 analyses of various samples made in India. The results obtained were fairly 

 uniform, so long as clean, pure wheat was examined. 



