FOODS. 77 



considerable proportion of fibre than the whole grain. 

 Malt-dust (known also as malt-combs) consists of the 

 radicles of the germinated barley,which are removed afte . 

 the malt has been dried. This material is very rich in 

 nitrogenous matter. 



When we turn to the hay, straw, green fodder, and 

 roots, the general composition becomes a less safe guide 

 to the nourishing value. The nitrogen, we have already 

 seen, is here no certain measure of the proportion of 

 albuminoids present. The fat credited to these foods is 

 also largely composed of waxy matters, and we can hardly 

 attribute to it the same feeding value as to an equal 

 amount of fat in oilcake or maize. The carbo-hydrates 

 also include various substances of little or no feeding 

 value. The same weight of dry matter in crude foods of 

 this class has thus a decidedly less nourishing value than 

 in foods consisting entirely of matured grain. Foods 

 belonging to different classes cannot safely be compared 

 on the basis of their composition. 



An important element in the character of a food is the 

 proportion between its nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous 

 constituents, these two classes of ingredients performing 

 to a considerable extent distinct functions in the body. 

 To find this proportion it is usual to calculate the fat into 

 its equivalent in starch (generally done by multiplying 

 the fat by 2.44), and add the product to the other carbo- 

 hydrates of the food ; the relation of the albuminoids to 

 the total non-nitrogenous constituents reckoned as carbo- 

 hydrates is then easily found. The relation in question 

 is commonly known as the "nutritive relation" of the 

 food (Nahrstoffverhaltniss), but is better described as 

 the "albuminoid ratio." Thus the composition of wheat 



