44 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 398 



DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURAL MANUFACTURES 



F. P. Griffiths in Charge 



Cranberry Research. (\V. B. Esselen, Jr., R. S. Lubitz, C. R. Fellers, and H. 

 J. Brunell.) Cranberry juice was found to have a definite bactericidal action on 

 the oral flora and on pathogenic bacteria frequently associated with gastro-in- 

 testinal disturbances in man. This observed action appears to be due primarily 

 to the high acidity of the cranberry. 



By means of chemical and microbiological assays, the amounts of several of 

 the vitamins of the "B-complex" present in 100 grams of fresh cranberries were 

 found to be thiamin (vitamin Bi), 4.5 international units; riboflavin (vitamin Be), 

 3 micrograms; nicotinic acid (niacin), 33 micrograms; pantothenic acid, 25 micro- 

 grams; pyridoxin, 10 micrograms; and biotin, a trace. There was little or no loss 

 of the "B-complex" vitamins in making cranberry sauce and since the cranberries 

 in whole cranberry sauce make up about 40 percent of the total weight of the 

 finished product, the amount of the above vitamins present in the whole sauce 

 was approximateh- 40 percent of the figures given for fresh cranberries. 



Cranberries were found to contain approximately 10 micrograms of vitamin K 

 per 100 grams, by the chick test. 



Domestic Refrigeration. (J. E. W. McConnell and C. R. Fellers.) In house- 

 hold refrigerators left-over vegetables kept better and retained more of their 

 vitamin C when stored in covered containers. The most rapid loss of vitamin C 

 occurred during the first day of storage. 



Storage of frozen foods for one day in the freezing compartment of the domestic 

 refrigerator was found to be satisfactory. For storage periods of a week, a tem- 

 perature of 16°F. was necessary to prevent excessive loss of vitamin C. A marked 

 loss of this vitamin occurred at storage temperatures of 20^ to 32^. 



Either defrosting of frozen foods at a high temperature or slow defrosting at 

 low temperatures resulted in a considerable loss of vitamin C. 



The Nutritive Value of Mushrooms. (C. R. Fellers, E. E. Anderson, and A. S. 

 Levine.) Work conducted during the past year shows that fresh and canned 

 mushrooms {Agaricus campestris) surpass many of our staple fruits and vegetables 

 in nutritive value. The mineral or ash content of mushrooms ishigh, particularly 

 in Iron. Mushrooms have been found to be one of the best plant sources of thia- 

 min, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and nicotinic acid. They also contain signi- 

 ficant amounts of ascorbic acid and vitamin K. 



Red Squill Research. (A. S. Levine, C. R. Fellers, and L. R. Parkinson.) 

 Work on the toxicity of red squill (a raticide) was continued, and a standardized 

 assay method has been developed. 



Preservative Values of Organic Acids. (A. S. Levine, M. G. O'Connor, and 

 C. R. Fellers.) The bactericidal value of benzoic acid is somewhat greater than 

 that of several of its salts. Magnesium and ammonium benzoate compared 

 favorably with sodium benzoate in inhibitory properties. Calcium benzoate 

 was the least toxic of the several compounds tested. It is assumed that the undis- 

 soclated benzoic acid molecule is the active germicidal agent that represses yeast 

 growth. 



Sodium chloride and ethyl alcohol in apple juices which were treated with 

 sodium benzoate markedly inhibited the growth of yeasts. The presence of 30 

 percent dextrose in apple juice caused some inhibition of yeast growth, its in- 

 hibitor}'* power being greater than that of sucrose under these conditions. 



