62 BULLETIN 433, U. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table 38 shows the distribution of the nitrogen and phosphorus 

 on the basis of 100 parts of the respective constituents in the meat 

 at the beginning of the storage period. 



There are appreciable decreases in total nitrogen, to which atten- 

 tion has been called in connection with Table 34:. 



There are quite marked decreases in the total soluble nitrogen. It 

 will be recalled that carcasses Nos. 1 and 2 also showed decreases in 

 total soluble nitrogen during storage, carcass No. 3 having been the 

 only one thus far that has shown an increase in total soluble nitrogen 

 during storage. 



CoagTilable nitrogen shows marked decreases, which are consider- 

 ably greater than those noted in case of any of the carcasses stored 

 for shorter periods of time. Changes in noncoagulable nitrogen con- 

 sist in quite marked increases, which, on the whole, are greater than 

 those observed in any of the carcasses stored for shorter periods of 

 time. 



Proteose nitrogen shows appreciable increases, which, however, 

 are much smaller than those observed in the cases of carcasses Nos. 

 2 and 3 stored for 28 and 42 days, respectively, and are approximately 

 the same as those noted in case of carcass No. 1 stored for 14 days.. 

 These facts indicate clearly that proteoses are simply an intermediate 

 product in the protein autolj'^sis that takes place in beef during cold 

 storage. 



Changes in amino nitrogen are in the nature of marked increases, 

 which are greater than those that took place in carcasses stored for 

 shorter periods of time. These results are in conformity with the 

 continued increase in amino nitrogen that occurred throughout the 

 autolysis experiment. 



Ammoniacal nitrogen shows appreciable increases, which are 

 greater than those that took place in any of the previous experiments. 



The decided decreases which seem to have occurred in total phos- 

 phorus are at present inexplicable. 



Table 39 shows the distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus ex- 

 pressed as percentages of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, re- 

 spectively. For the most part the data for nitrogen do not demand 

 special discussion. The changes noted indicate an increased pro- 

 teolysis ; amino nitrogen, in particular, constituting a larger propor- 

 tion of the total nitrogen than in the carcasses stored for shorter 

 periods of time. 



Changes in insoluble phosphorus are irregular and have no ap- 

 parent significance. 



Soluble phosphorus shows changes which have no more signifi- 

 cance than the equal and opposite changes in insoluble phosphorus. 



The increases in the ratio of soluble inorganic phosphorus to total 

 phosphorus are exceptionally small in comparison with the length of 



