IO THE PROTEINS OF THE WHEAT KERNEL. 



Weyl 1 was the first to recognize the presence of globulin in wheat flour, 

 and states that besides vegetable-vitellin, vegetable-myosin, which coagu- 

 lated at 55 to 60, was also present. 



Weyl & Bischoff 2 considered the protein matter of wheat to consist chiefly 

 of a myosin-like globulin which they called vegetable-myosin, and that, if 

 so, this must be the substance from which gluten is derived, for other pro- 

 teins are present only in small quantity. Extraction with 15 per cent salt 

 solution left a residue from which they obtained no gluten. They therefore 

 considered it probable that the gluten forms from the myosin in consequence 

 of a ferment action similarly to the formation of fibrin from fibrinogen. 

 No ferment, however, could be detected. They also found that large 

 amounts of sodium chloride, sodium sulphate, and magnesium sulphate 

 hindered the formation of gluten in the same way that sodium and mag- 

 nesium sulphates hinder the formation of fibrin. As no gluten was obtained 

 from flour extracted with alcohol, they concluded that the myosin had been 

 coagulated. By warming flour 48 to 96 hours below 60, the coagulation 

 point of myosin, no gluten was obtained from the meal after adding a little 

 unwarmed flour, showing that the gluten-forming substance had been 

 coagulated. 



Balland 3 found that nearly the same amount of gluten was formed with 

 water at 2, 15, and 60, and therefore concluded that no ferment action 

 took part in its formation. 



According to Martin, 4 alcohol extracts from gluten but one protein sub- 

 stance. This is soluble in hot water, but insoluble in cold ; hence is insoluble 

 phytalbumose. The residue remaining after treatment with alcohol is 

 uncoagulated protein, soluble in dilute acids and alkalis. This he called 

 "gluten-fibrin." The insoluble phytalbumose is not present, as such, in 

 flour, since direct extraction of the meal with 75 per cent alcohol removes 

 no protein. Extraction with water yields less globulin and soluble albumose 

 than extraction with sodium chloride solution of 10 to 15 per cent. Martin 

 therefore concluded that the insoluble phytalbumose is formed from the 

 soluble by the action of water, the gluten-fibrin being formed by a similar 

 action of water on the globulin ; that is, conversion into an albuminate. 

 This albuminate and the insoluble phytalbumose together constitute gluten. 



W. Johannsen 5 believed that there was no ferment action in the formation 

 of gluten. Dough was obtained by grinding dried gluten and mixing with 

 starch, and also by mixing moist gluten with starch. 



1 Weyl, Zeitscbrift fur physiologische Chemie, 1877, i, p. 72. 



1 Weyl & Bischoff, Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft, 1880, xiu, p. 367. 



3 Balland, Comptes rendus de I'Acade'mie des Sciences, 1883, cxv, p. 202. 



4 Martin, British Medical Journal, 1886, II. p. 104. 



5 W. Johannsen, Annales Agronomiques, 1888, xiv, p. 420. 



