CONCENTRATED FOODS 281 



from the seed and are thereby rendered somewhat harder. 

 Even so, the coefficients of digestibility are high. The per- 

 centage of total nitrogenous substance is also high, but a 

 large amount of it is of amide character. The cellulose is 

 probably not at all lignified. It is said that when large 

 quantities are fed to pregnant animals malt dust has a 

 tendency to cause abortion. This is important, as they are 

 chiefly used for milk cows. 



Brewer's Grains. In the process of brewing, the malt is 

 " mashed " with warm water in order that the diastase may 

 act upon the starch and convert it into sugars and dextrine. 

 The operation is conducted so as to extract as much as 

 possible of the soluble carbohydrates and as little as possible 

 of the nitrogenous matter. The residual soft pulpy mass is 

 the brewer's grains. Though saturated with water, it contains 

 from 5 to 6 per cent, of nitrogenous matter, of which the 

 larger part is digestible true protein, about 12 per cent, of 

 soluble carbohydrates, and only a small amount of fibre. This 

 substance is, therefore, a highly nutritious food, and moreover 

 it is very cheap. In fact, in proportion to the amount of 

 nutrients it contains it is the cheapest food on the market. 

 This statement is based on the price at the brewery whence 

 it must be fetched ; and, owing to the large amount of water 

 it contains, the cost of haulage is great. The demand is, 

 therefore, practically limited to the farms in the immediate 

 neighbourhood. 



At many breweries the grains are now dried. The process 

 costs money, and as the dried grains will bear the cost of 

 railway transport the demand is greatly increased. The price 

 of the dried grains is, therefore, much higher in proportion to 

 the amount of nutrients they contain (cf. pp. 166, 213). 



In brewing porter and stout, the malt, or a portion of it, is 

 caramelised so as to produce the black colour. The residual 

 grains have a somewhat bitter flavour, but it is not distasteful, 

 and they have practically the same composition as ale grains. 



In the moist condition, brewer's grains cannot be kept for 

 any length of time. They rapidly turn sour owing to lactic 

 fermentation, and soon become mouldy. They are then quite 



