TROPICAL FOOD MATERIALS 43 



samples, however, the contamination is mainly due to barley, so 

 that the tendency is for a fall in the protein content to be accom- 

 panied by a fall in the percentage of nitrogen absorbed. Thus, 

 in contrasting some of the results obtained for the protein content 

 and protein absorption of different samples of wheat, it was 

 found that 



1 oz. first class Benares wheat contains 0-5354 grm. N., of which 80-5 per 



cent, is absorbed. 

 1 oz. first class Agra wheat contains 04896 grm. N., of which 72-3 per cent. 



is absorbed. 

 1 oz. ordinary Naini wheat contains 0-4710 grm. N., of which 68-8 per cent, is 



absorbed. 

 1 oz. ordinary Benares and Lucknow wheat contains 0-4630 grm. N., of which 



69-2 per cent, is absorbed. 



It would appear from these findings that a relationship exists 

 between the protein content of a sample and the percentage of 

 protein absorption from that sample. While this may be true 

 for samples that are fairly clean and pure, or in which the only 

 or chief foreign element is barley, it does not hold good for all 

 classes of wheat, nor when the containing factors are of various 

 kinds. Thus 



1 oz. ordinary Agra wheat contains 0-4536 grm. N., of which 63-3 per cent. 



is absorbed. 

 1 oz. ordinary Lucknow wheat contains 0-4360 grm. N., of which 67-5 per cent. 



is absorbed. 

 1 oz. ordinary Lucknow wheat contains 0-4415 grm. N., of which 71-4 per cent. 



is absorbed. 



So that, although the ordinary sample of Agra wheat contains a 

 higher percentage of nitrogen than either of the Lucknow samples, 

 yet it is accompanied by a percentage of protein absorption 

 considerably lower than was found in the case of the latter. 



It may be accepted, therefore, that in India, while really good, 

 clean wheat shows a protein absorption of over 80 per cent., thus 

 comparing very favourably with the results given by European 

 and American authorities, the ordinary contaminated material 

 available to the great mass of the population is not nearly so 

 well absorbed, the coefficient of protein digestibility varying in 

 different samples from 62-8 to 72-3 per cent. 



Experimenting in India on batches of from five to ten prisoners 

 kept under observation for periods varying from five to ten days, 

 it was found that the absorption of the protein of good wheat 

 varied within narrow limits. 



The following results were obtained : 



