398 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1320 



ported in each group was 4 with the exception of 

 hempseed in which three experiments were re- 

 ported and poppy-seed in which 7 experiments 

 were reported. The subjects reported no laxative 

 effect in any of the experiments with the excep- 

 tion of slight disturbances with the eapuassu fat 

 which was similar to the disturbances caused by 

 «ocoa butter. The general conclusions are that 

 these iats should prove valuable for food purposes 

 and that cohune, hempseed, poppy-seed and palm- 

 kernel oils are very completely assimilated by the 

 body. 



Experiments on the digestibility of entire wheat 

 flour ground by various processes: C. F. Lang- 

 vfORTHY AND H. J. Deuel. (By title.) It seemed 

 advisable to determine what effect different meth- 

 ods of milling had on the digestibility of entire 

 wheait flour so experiments were carried out with 

 entire wheat flour ground in five different com- 

 mercial processes. The different methods of mill- 

 ing used were: (1) A commercial roller miU, (2) 

 roller mill of the Bureau of Chemistry, (3) burr 

 stone mill, (4) steel burr mill, and (5) attrition 

 mill. The experiments were conducted in the 

 same manner as previous experiments of such a 

 nature have been carried on by this office. The 

 flour was incorporated in a ginger bread and fed 

 with a basal ration of oranges, butter and sugar, 

 and tea or coffee was used according to the in- 

 dividual preference. The general results from 

 these experiments seemed to indicate that the finer 

 the wheat is ground, the more completely the pro- 

 tein is absorbed while the percentage of carbohy- 

 drate absorbed remains nearly constant. Even in 

 the most finely-ground flour, the protein was only 

 79 per cent, absorbed whUe in the ease of highly- 

 milled flour (i. e., flour in which the bran has been 

 removed), it has been found that it is about 88 

 per cent, digested. In the case of the flour milled 

 on the stone burr and steel burr mills the digesti- 

 bility of the carbohydrate was found to be 97 

 per cent, and 95.5 per cent, digested, respectively. 

 The protein in each case was 79 per cent, digested. 

 The digestibility of the flour milled on the attri- 

 tion mill was 95.5 per cent, for the carbohydrate 

 and 74.5 per cent, for the protein. With the com- 

 mercial sample of roller-milled flour, 94 per cent, 

 of the carbohydrate was digested and 70 per cent, 

 of the protein, and with the sample prepared in 

 the laboratory roller mill, the carbohydrate was 

 95 per cent, digested and the protein 71 per cent. 

 Both the samples ground on a roller mill were con- 

 siderably coarser than those ground on any of the 



other three mills. It is expected that a bulletin 

 will appear shortly giving a summary of these ex- 

 periments. 



Adsorption of fat by fried hatter and doughs 

 and causes of their variations: Minna C. Denton 

 AND Edith Wengel. (By title.) The various in- 

 gredients of the dough exert varying effects upon 

 fat absorption. The gluten of wheatflour, when 

 acted on by hot fat of suitable temperature, tends 

 to form a crust which prevents or hinders fat 

 penetration; so the stiffer dough absorbs less fat, 

 other things being equal. Sugar increases fat ab- 

 sorption very decidedly. Eat present as an in- 

 gredient of the dough, greatly increases the fat 

 absorption. Egg, if not above 60 per cent, of the 

 weight of the liquid (as is the case in doughnut 

 recipes) does not lessen the fat absorption, but 

 contrary to current opinion seems even to increase 

 it somewhat. Many details of manipulation exert 

 the most profound effects upon fat absorption. 

 Length of time of frying and relative amount of 

 surface exposed, are two of the most important. 

 Crust formation is of the greatest importance. 

 Any manipulation increasing volume (and conse- 

 quently surface) increases fat absorption. Turn- 

 ing the cakes repeatedly as they fry increases fat 

 absorption, because it promotes the exposure of a 

 soft crust, to the hot fat. The influence of tem- 

 perature upon fat-absorption (constant time, tem- 

 perature 150° C. and 200° C.) is variable and de- 

 pends entirely upon the consistency and ingredi- 

 ents of the dough. In practical cookery, how- 

 ever the time would be reduced at the higher tem- 

 perature and this would lessen fat absorption. 

 Temperature is important also because of its in- 

 fluence upon crust formation and upon expansion 

 of the dough. 



Charles L. Paksons, 

 Secretary 



SCIENCE 



A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement <rf 

 Science, publishing the official notices and pro- 

 ceedings of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science 



Published every Friday by 



THE SCM^CE PRESS 



LANCASTER, PA. GARRISON, N. Ye 



NEW YORK. N. Y. 



Elnteied in the posl-affice at LancutCfc Pa.„ ai Mcond dus matte!^ 



