ANNUAL REPORT. 1940 81 



the high content of essential minerals such as calcium, pliosphorus, iron, 

 copper, and iodine. The iodine content is from 400-500 parts per billion. 



The meat contains moderate amounts of thiamin and riboflavin and a 

 small amount of ascorbic acid. 



The technique makes possible the establishment of an American crab- 

 cannintr industry and introduces a new, attractive, tasty, and nutritious 

 seafood to the American consumer. Four commercial canneries are 

 already making use of this new canning procedure. 



Research on crab meal for poultry feeding has been started in coopera- 

 tion with the poultry department. 



Carotene Studies. (C. R. Fellers and C. F. Dunker.) A comprehensive 

 literature review and critique on the effect of canning, freezing, dehydra- 

 tion, and storage on the carotene (vitamin A) content of foods has been 

 prepared for the Institute of Food Technologists. Collaborative studies 

 with the U. S. Bureau of Agricultural Chemistr}- and Engineering on 

 animal assays for vitamin A in frozen and canned peach products were 

 undertaken. Excellent checks were obtained between the chemical meth- 

 ods for carotene and the rat biossay for vitamin A. 



Glass Container Research. ( C. R. Fellers, K. R. Newman, and W. H. 

 Fitzpatrick.) Extensive experimental work on loss of quality of fruit 

 juices packed in glass containers has been carried on. 



.-\s an antioxidant in bottled fruit juices 1-ascorbic acid and d-gluco- 

 ascorliic acid are more effective than oat flour, lecithin-dextrose mixture, or 

 tyrosine butyl ester. Thus, any free oxygen present in fruit juice quickly 

 reacts with ascorbic acid and accorflingly reduces the vitamin C contetit oi 

 the juice. Heat greatly accelerates the oxygen-ascorbic acid reaction, al- 

 though the final total loss of ascorbic acid in bottled juices is the same after 

 one or two months' storage, regardless of temperature. However, other 

 quality factors are better retained in fruit juices stored at cool temper- 

 atures. 



Exposure of bottled juices to artificial light also accelerates the oxygen- 

 ascorbic acid reaction; but again, the total ascorbic acid loss in light and 

 in darkness, over a period of a few weeks, is approximately the same 

 and is never greater than the theoretical loss due to chemical reaction of 

 100 percent of the oxygen with the necessary weight of ascorbic acid, 

 that is, one molecule of O2 combines with one molecule of ascorbic acid. 



Research on Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles. (C. R. Fellers, 

 R. T. Parkhurst, and K. G. Shea.) This is a cooperative project with 

 Poultry Department. Biological assays showed that this by-product is a 

 verj- good source of riboflavin and vitamin Bi. While the biological value 

 of the protein to rats is not high, when it was supplemented with casein, 

 fish meal or meat scrap, growth was normal in every respect. For both 

 White Leghorns and Rhode Island Red-Barred Rock hybrids, the dis- 

 tillers grains successfully replaced all the dried skim milk in the New 

 England Conference starting mash at a marked saving in ration cost. 

 Similarly, these grains could also replace about 50 percent of the fish meal 

 plus meat scraps in the Conference Ration. The source of riboflavin and 

 vitamin Bi was found to be dried yeast cells and lactobacilli. It is esti- 

 mated that yeast and bacteria comprise about 12 to 15 percent of the 

 weight of the corn distillers dried grains with solubles. 



