CHANGES IN FEESH BEEF DURING COLD STORAGE. 13 



the nature aud quantity of the soluble constituents of the muscles, either in 

 fresh condition or after autolysis or cold storage. 



The solvent used was 0.9 per cent aqueous solution of sodium chlorid that 

 had been saturated with thymol by shaking with a concentrated chloroform 

 solution of that substance. The preparation of the extract in these experiments 

 was always begun as soon as possible after the grinding of the samples. The 

 entire process was carried on in refrigerated rooms, the preparation of the 

 extract at a temperature between 34° and 45° F., and subsequent extraction 

 at a temperature between 34° and 36° F. The solvent was cooled to about 

 34° F. before use. 



One hundred grams of the finely ground meat were weighed into a beaker 

 and transferred quantitatively, with the aid of some of the solvent, to a 7-inch 

 porcelain mortar. The meat was mascerated with the solvent to a smooth 

 pulp, and quantitatively transferred to a 2,000 c. c. volumetric flask with the 

 aid of a stream of the solvent from a wash bottle. The contents of the flask 

 were then diluted to the mark with the isotonic solution, and the flask was 

 placed in a cold-storage room at a temperature between 34° and 36° F. The 

 suspension thus prepared was shaken at intervals of not less than an hour 

 during the remainder of the day, and at like intervals during the morning of 

 the following day, until at the expiration of the twenty-third hour it had been 

 shaken on eight different occasibns. After settling for another hour, it was 

 filtered, the clear filtrate being used for the determination of the soluble con- 

 stituents of the meat. 



A determination of the volume displaced by the insoluble material has con- 

 vinced us that the error caused by its presence is negligible. 



Total solids were determined by evaporating 50 c. c. of the extract to dryness 

 in a platinum dish on a steam bath, and by subsequently drying to constant 

 weight at 100" C. Correction was made later for the sodium chlorid contained 

 in the extract. 



Asli. — The residue from the determination of total solids was carefully 

 charred in an electric furnace, the, temperature being kept below 600° C. in 

 order to guard against volatilization of sodium chlorid. The charred mass was 

 extracted with hot distilled water, filtered, washed, and the residue then 

 ignited in the original dish. The filtrate was then transferred to the dish, 

 evaporated to dryness, dried at 150° C. for several hours, and finally ignited 

 for a short time at a temperature under 600° C. The dish was covered during 

 ignition to avoid loss by decrepitation. Correction was made for the sodium 

 chlorid content of the ash. 



Hodium chlorid. — The ash was extracted with hot water, the filtrate made 

 to volume, and sodium clilorid was determined in an aliquot portion by means 

 of a standard solution (»f silver nitrate, with potassium chromate as an 

 indicator. 



Orfjanic cxtrnrt was obtained by substracting the percentage of ash from 

 that of total soliils. 



Total ffohihUi ni(rof/rn was determined in 100 c. c. of the extract by the 

 Kjf'Ida ill -Oil lining method. 



('oafjulal)lf; nilrof/m. — One liiiiidn'<l ciihif (•cndiiietcrs of extract was trans- 

 ferred to a 150 c. c. )»eaker, lieated on a steam bath until the protein had 

 eoagulaterl, and tlien neutralized to litnniH paper by the addition of a standard 

 solution of sorlium hydroxid. Tlie solutirm was then heated on the steam l)ath 

 until tlie original volume had be<*n roduce<] by about one-third, after which it 

 was filtered an<l th<> jtrecipitate washed with hot water until free from sodium 

 chlorid. Nitrogen was then determined in the precipitate. 



