54 CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF BODY AND FOOD. 
Osborne 1 investigated the proteids of the oat and analysed three primary 
oat proteids, one soluble in alcohol, the second a globulin, and the third a 
proteid soluble in alkali only. From these, secondary proteids are obtained 
by mixing the ground oats with water ; he regards the change as one pro- 
duced by ferment activity. 
In conjunction with Chittenden, 2 he worked out in a similar way the 
proteids of maize, and found there two globulins, one or more albumins, and a 
proteid soluble in alcohol. These differ in solubilities, coagulating points, and 
elementary composition ; one of the globulins is a vitellin, the other a myosin. 
A small amount of proteose also present was regarded as artificially produced 
in the processes of analysis. The proteid soluble in alcohol is called zein ; 
and it, like the globulins, is converted into an insoluble modification on ad- 
mixture of the flour with water. 
The proteids of flaxseed 3 he found to be chiefly globulin, with smaller 
quantities of albumin, proteose, and peptone. 
In wheat Osborne and Yoorhees 4 describe five proteids : — 
1. Gliadin ; a proteid soluble in alcohol, and like gelatin in some of its 
other properties. 
2. Glutenin ; a proteid soluble only in alkalis. 
3. Edestin ; a globulin of the vitellin class. 
4. Leucosin ; an albumin, which Martin described as a myosin. 
5. Proteoses. 
They do not agree with Martin's ferment theory of gluten formation. 
O'Brien 5 has arrived at a similar conclusion; he regards gluten formation as 
due to hydration, though not produced by a ferment. The proteids in the 
ilour he describes as globulins of the myosin and vitellin type, and a 
proteose which he regards as the mother substance of gluten. 
Other vegetable proteids investigated by Osborne are those of the kidney 
bean 6 (two globulins called phaseolin and phaselin, and proteose) ; of the 
cotton seed (almost altogether proteose, with small amounts of edestin and 
insoluble proteid); of rye (gliadin, leucosin, edestin, and proteose); and of 
barley" (leucosin, proteose, edestin, and hordein, an insoluble proteid, 
corresponding to Kitthausen's mucedin). He also investigated the chemical 
nature of diastase, and considers it is closely related to the albumin he has 
named leucosin. 
. Researcliis an proteolytic ferments in plants. — Those in the papaw plant 
and in pine-apple juice are the best known, or most fully worked out. 
Tapani was the name given by "Wurtz to the proteolytic ferment in the 
juice of the papaw plant. 8 The close similarity of its action to that of 
trypsin was shown by S. Martin.'-' The proteids in the juice are a globulin 
very like serum globulin, small quantities of an albumin, and proteoses of 
two kinds, with one of which the ferment appears to be closely associated 
(Martin). 11 ' 
Bromelin. — This is the proteolytic ferment in pine-apple juice. Its 
existence was first noted by Marcano of Venezuela. It is made use of 
extensively in South America for the preparation of artificially digested 
1 Am. Chem. Journ., Baltimore, vol. xiv. No. 3. 
'- Ibid., vol. xiii. Nos. 7, 8, and 9 : vol. xiv. No. 1. 3 Ibid., vol. xiv. No. 8. 
4 Ibid., vol. xv. No. 6; "Seventeenth Ann. Rep. Connecticut Agric. Expt. Station," 
Newhaven, 1893. 
5 Ann. Botany, Oxford, 1895, vol. ix. pp. 171, 503. 
6 Journ. Am. Chem. Soc, N. Y., 1894, vol. xvi. p. 633. 
7 Ibid., 1895, vol. xvii. p. 539. See also Osborne and Campbell on proteids of potato 
on conglutin and vitellin, on legnmin and other proteids of the pea and vetch, ibid., 1896 
vol. xviii. No. 7. 
8 Comjd. rend. Acad. d. sc, Paris, 1S79, p. 425 ; 1SS0, p. 1379. 
9 Journ. Physiol., Cambridge and London, vol. v. p. 213. 
10 Hid., vol. vi. p. 336. 
