BOUILLON CUBES: THEIK CONTENTS AND FOOD VALUE. 



COMPARISON OF THE FOOD VALUE AND COST OF A HOMEMADE 

 BEEF BROTH AND A HOMEMADE MEAT AND VEGETABLE SOUP WITH 

 BOUILLON CUBES, SEMISOLID MEAT EXTRACTS, AND SIMILAR 

 PREPARATIONS. 



To determine how the cost of meat extract obtained in bouillon 

 cubes, semisolid meat extracts, and other meat preparations compares 

 with homemade beef broth, and meat and vegetable soup, the in- 

 vestigator prepared 

 two kinds of home- 

 made soup, keeping 

 careful account of the 

 actual cost. 



BEEF BROTH. 



i/v4T /.72% 

 UA/D£T£#M/A/£D 0. 57<}A> 



SALT /.07y~ 

 K M£ATA M£4T£?<77?ACTA/£S/.S/ % 



Fig. 7. — Cup of homemade beef broth ready to serve ; 

 prepared especially for children and invalids ; more 

 nutritious than the commercial preparations (4 J 

 cents a cup). 



Two half - pound 

 portions of ground 

 beef were bought for 

 13 cents each, or at the 

 rate of 25 cents per 

 pound, a high price for this meat. One pint of cold water was 

 added to each lot. The mixtures were stirred and allowed to stand 

 in the cold for 15 minutes. They were then placed on the stove and 

 brought to a boil. A pinch of salt was added. The broth, which 

 contained some of the smaller particles of the meat, amounted to 1 

 pint or 3 cups. The price, therefore, using expensive meat of this 

 kind, would be about 4-J cents per cup. This cost, of course, could be 



greatly reduced by 

 purchasing the meat 

 at a lower - priced 

 market, or using a 

 less expensive cut. 

 Analyses of the broth 

 are given in Table II. 

 In Table III it is 

 seen that the amount 

 of meat and extrac- 

 tives thus obtained, one-sixth of an ounce, for 10 cents, was as 

 cheap as the meat extract in many of the commercial preparations. 

 In addition, this broth contained all the fat of the meat which is 

 a valuable food and which is eliminated from ordinary commercial 

 meat extracts. The meat, after the soup is made, is available for the 

 preparation of hash or other food and thus still further reduces the 

 actual cost of the meat broth. 



(FAT 3.27°/o 

 \WAT£f? £&*?/<& 



SALT /.04<fr 



l/SG£ '7ASL£ '&&£& 5.47?<> 

 \/£-G£7XBL£ £XT/04CT/\/ES O.79<yo 

 AHEXTG-ArtTATeXTKACT/VES /tf??6 



Fig. 8. — Cup of homemade meat and vegetable soup ready 

 to serve; a cheap and nutritious food (11 cents a cup). 



