544 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VI. No. 1196 



but more than polished rice. Barley produced 

 fair gains for a time but later the pigeons lost 

 weight. Oats proved to be very inferior. The re- 

 sults suggest that this vitamine preparation, when 

 used in amounts commensurate with rational 

 therapy, is a very valuable adjuvant to a vita- 

 mine-poor diet but in order to obtain the very best 

 results one should have for the patient a dietary 

 containing foods rich in vitamine. 



The growth promotmg value of the lactalhumins 

 oitained after separating casein hy (a) hydro- 

 chloric acid and (b) lactic acid culture: A. D. 

 Emmett and M. E. Slater, Eeseareh Department 

 of Parke, Davis & Co., Detroit. The lactalbumins 

 used were obtained from skim milk whey. In one 

 case, the casein was removed from the skim milk 

 by a slight acidification with hydrochloric acid 

 and in the other it was thrown out by using a lac- 

 tic acid "starter" and allowing the milk to incu- 

 bate until sufB.oient acid was formed to cause the 

 separation. The two lactalbumins were compared 

 as to their growth promoting value by feeding 

 young rats that had been kept on a maintenance 

 ration. It was found, on a low protein plane, that 

 the lactic acid culture laetalbumin had very little 

 growth producing value when compared with the 

 hydrochloric acid laetalbumin. The influence of 

 various factors involved was studied among them 

 — varying the quantity of laetalbumin, adding 

 cystine and increasing the total protein intake. 



The influence of accessory substances on growth, 

 with a low protein ration containing laetalbumin 

 from lactic acid whey: A. D. Emmett and M. E. 

 Slater, Eeseareh Laboratory of Parke, Davis & 

 Co., Detroit. Young rats which had been on main- 

 tenance were put upon a basal ration low in pro- 

 tein but ample in energy and mineral content. The 

 protein concentrate used was corn gluten. This 

 was supplemented vidth lactic acid, laetalbumin. 

 Butter fat was omitted. Vitamine preparations 

 (water soluble) were added to the basal relation 

 after a test period showed that the expected rate 

 of growth did not take place. In fact, during this 

 test period, there was almost no response to the 

 change in the ration from maintenance to basal. 

 Upon replacing part of the lard vrith butter fat, 

 there was a slight increase in growth; adding vi- 

 tamine preparation B to the basal ration, there was 

 some effect produced; and on adding vitamine 

 preparation A, a decided gain in weight resulted 

 which compared favorably with the growth curve 

 obtained on using the hydrochloric acid laetalbu- 

 min. 



On the origin of the humin formed iy the acid 

 hydrolysis of proteins III. Hydrolysis in the 

 presence of aldehydes II. Hydrolysis in the pres- 

 ence of formaldehyde: Eoss Aiken Gortneb and 

 George E. Holm. Hydrolysis in the presence of 

 formaldehyde completely alters the nitrogen distri- 

 bution obtained by Van Slyke 's method. Black 

 insoluble humin is formed from tryptophane and 

 no other known amino acid is concerned in the re- 

 action. The primary reaction of black humin for- 

 mation involves only the indole nucleus and not the 

 a amino group of the aliphatic side chain of trypto- 

 phane. Formaldehyde forms a soluble humin with 

 tyrosine which is precipitated by Ca(OH),. 

 Hydrolysis in the presence of formaldehyde causes 

 enormous increases in the ammonia fraction but 

 the increase is not due to ammonia but to volatile 

 alkaline compounds. The detailed paper will ap- 

 pear in the Jour. Amer. Chem. Sac. 



On the relative imbibition of glutens from strong 

 and wealc flours: Eoss Aiken Gortner and 

 Everett H. Dohertt. The gluten was washed 

 from both "strong" and "weak" flours and the 

 hydration capacity of the colloids measured by im- 

 mersing weighed disks in different concentrations 

 of certain acids, allowing them to remain a definite 

 length of time and again weighing. Lactic and 

 acetic acids produced greatest imbibition, the form 

 of these hydration curves being very different 

 from those of hydrochloric and oxalic acids which 

 produced much less hydration. The gluten from 

 a ' ' weak ' ' flour has a much lower rate of hydra- 

 tion and a much lower maximum hydration ca- 

 pacity than has the gluten from a "strong" flour. 

 Gluten from a ' ' weak ' ' flour changes from a gel 

 to a sol at a much lower degree of hydration than 

 does that from a ' ' strong ' ' flour. There is an in- 

 herent difference in the colloidal properties of the 

 glutens from ' ' strong ' ' and ' ' weak ' ' flours and 

 these glutens would not be identical even if the 

 flours had originally had the same salt and acid 

 content. The paper will be published in Jour. 

 Agr. Bes. 



The nitrogen distribution in protalbinic and 

 lysalbinic acids: Eoss Aiken Gortner and Cor- 

 nelia Kennedy. Lysalbinic and protalbinic acids 

 were prepared from egg albumen by Paal 's method 

 and their nitrogen distribution, together with that 

 of the original egg albumen, determined by Van 

 Slyke 's method. No marked difference was ob- 

 served in any of the fractions although both of the 

 derived products show a somewhat greater ap- 

 parent lysine content. This is probably due to 



