90 BULLETIN 433, U. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGKICULTUEE. 



Total nitrogen. — With the exception of the quarter of beef that had 

 been held in storage for 14 daj'^s, where there was an apparent increase 

 in the nitrogen content of the meat, each quarter of beef showed a 

 slight apparent decrease in nitrogen content during storage. The 

 increase in nitrogen in the one instance must be regarded as due to 

 some unknown analytical error ; but the fact that the nitrogen content 

 of all the other quarters of beef that had been stored for longer 

 periods of time decreased makes it appear that there was a slight 

 actual loss of nitrogen from the meat during storage. However, the 

 decreases were not distinct enough to make the results convincing. 



Totobl soluble solids. — The changes that took place in this con- 

 stituent during the storage of the beef did not bear a direct relation 

 either to the length of the storage period or to the conditions of stor- 

 age. The quarters stored for 14, 28, and 63 days showed considerable 

 decreases in total soluble solids ; that stored for 42 days showed prac- 

 tically no change ; while those stored for 54, 74, and 177 days showed 

 'distinct increases. The (decreases in the amount of total soluble 

 solids that occurred during the storage periods are contrary to the 

 commonly accepted idea that there is necessarily an increase in this 

 constituent of meat during storage. It appears that there was first a 

 decrease in total soluble solids in the early part of the storage period, 

 and later an increase in this constituent as the storage period was 

 lengthened. The probable explanation of these peculiar changes will 

 be discussed in connection with total soluble nitrogen. 



Ash of extract. — On account of an unavoidable analytical error en- 

 countered in the determination of this constituent, due to the neces- 

 sity of correcting for a relatively large quantity of sodium chlorid 

 in the presence of a small amount of ash, the data for this constituent 

 are not considered to have any special significance. 



Organic extractives. — The changes in this constituent were of the 

 same general character as those which took place in the total solids. 



Total soluble nitrogen. — The changes that took place in this con- 

 stituent did not proceed in regular order. Beef stored for 14, 28, and 

 €3 days showed slight decreases in total soluble nitrogen, while that 

 stored for 42, 64, 74, and 177 days exhibited slight to appreciable 

 gains in that constituent. On the whole the changes in total soluble 

 nitrogen during storage were not large. 



The interpretation of these changes, however, is of considerable 

 significance. The probable explanation of the initial decrease in total 

 soluble nitrogen and of the subsequent increase in that constituent is, 

 in general, the same as that which has already been suggested to ac- 

 count for the similar changes observed in the autolysis experiment 

 reported in a previous part of this paper. That explanation need not 

 be repeated here. 



The increases observed in the total soluble nitrogen content of meat 

 stored for longer periods must be regarded as being due, in large part 



