ANNUAL REPORT, 1937 75 



steam cooking of spinach with but little water caused much better retention of 

 vitamin C than did water cooking (320 units per ounce as compared with 156 

 was the average for 10 samples). Only moderate losses of vitamin C resulted from 

 either freezing or canning. Dehydration caused complete loss of vitamin C and 

 markedly decreased the vitamin A content. Freezing and canning of spinach had 

 little effect on its vitamin A content. 



A paper covering research on sweet corn was published in Food Research 

 2 (l):41-50, 1937. 



Nutritive Value of Industrial Food By-Products. (C. R. Fellers, W. B. Esselen, 

 Jr., J. Bernotavicz, and A. D'Ercole.) Work has been in progress on tomato and 

 cranberry wastes, apple pomace, dried buttermilk, and distillers' wastes. Tomato 

 waste consists of seeds, skin, and fiber and contains approximately 24 percent 

 protein, 15 percent fat, 32 percent carbohydrates, 3 percent ash, and 20 percent 

 crude fiber. Present also on a 100-gram basis are 680 international units of 

 vitamin A, 300 Sherman-Bourquin units of vitamin G or 200 Norris-Wilgus 

 chick units, 500 Sherman-Chase units of vitamin B,and a small amount of vitamin 

 C. This product possesses distinct value as an animal and poultry feed but must 

 be used with some caution because of poor palatability. 



Dried distillers' grains and concentrated slop or syrup were likewise examined 

 chemically and biologically. Both are good sources of vitamins G and B, but the 

 growth-promoting quality of the proteins is poor unless they are supplemented 

 with casein or other proteins. 



Research is now under way to determine whether apple pectin (derived from 

 pomace) has a vitamin A-sparing action and whether the presence of pectin in the 

 diet affects the mucous membranes and mucin formation. No significant results 

 are available. 



Vitamin D Investigations. (W. B. Esselen, Jr., and C. R. Fellers.) Rickets 

 resistance in rats cannot be correlated with either environmental temperature or 

 diet ingredients within limits. The cause of spontaneous recovery in a colony 

 following a period of rickets resistance is unknown. 



Collaboration with committees of the A. O. A. C. and the American Public 

 Health Association in referee work in connection with the establishment of 

 standard assay methods of vitamin D has been continued. 



Bio-assay of numerous samples of irradiated, fortified, and metabolized vitamin 

 D milks produced in this State showed that the guaranteed amount of vitamin D 

 was present in these milks and that they could be safely recommended as potent 

 sources of vitamin D. 



Various samples of poultry feeds and other preparations have been assayed for 

 vitamin D. 



Nutritive Value of Fishery Products as Human and Animal Food. (Cooperative 

 with Chemistry. C. R. Fellers, W. S. Ritchie, J. A. Clague, and W. B. Esselen, 

 Jr.) A paper was published {Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 66:415-421, 1937) on the 

 nutritive value and utilization of the Atlantic Whiting, Merluccius hilinearis. 



Home Canning Research. (A. S. Levine, W. A. Maclinn, and C. R. Fellers.) 

 A bulletin (No. 341) covering the research and field work on vacuum-pressure 

 relationships in glass canning jars was published this j-ear. Three years' ex- 

 perience has demonstrated the value and utility' of this new method of home 

 canning wherein the wire bails on the glass jars are tightened previous to heat 

 treatment. The method decreases markedly the losses of liquid from jars during 

 processing, improves the appearance of the contents, saves time, obviates the 



