10 BULLETIN 717, U. S, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



bcn-ne and Mendel ^ included experiments with a commercial soy- 

 bean flour and a peanut meal (prepared by grinding peanuts from 

 which the oil had been extracted) in a series containing such mate- 

 rials as casein, lactalbumin, edestin, cottonseed protein, fish-meat 

 meal, corn-oil cake, "vegetable- albumin flour" (largely gliadin), 

 brewers' grains (largely residues of corn and barley proteins), and 

 pea meal. The authors state, "An inspection of these tables shows 

 that lactalbumin is the most efficient supplement — those which are 

 equally efficient are milk albumin and soy-bean flour." The gain in 

 weight reported for the experimental animals which were fed a diet 

 which included the peanut meal indicated that this material ranks 

 liigh as a supplement to corn gluten. As a result of these facts the 

 authors conclude that "The efficiency of these supplements presum- 

 ably depends essentially upon their relative content of lysine and 

 tryptophane." 



Osborne and Mendel report ^ in a study of the relative values for 

 functions of growth of isolated proteins included in a diet consisting 

 of an isolated protein, protein-free milk, starch, agar, and fat that 

 they w6re able to secure active growth with casein, ovalbumin, 

 lactalbumin, edestin, glutenin, and glycinin (soy-bean protein), and 

 that they secured little or no growth with gliadin, hordein, and zein. 



Osborne and Mendel ^ in a report of results of experiments made 

 with rats say ''On diets containing either the soy-bean meal or the 

 commercial soy-cake meal, together with fats and ''Protein-free 

 milk" or our "artificial" salt mixture, several broods of vigorous 

 3^oung have been produced, and these young have grown normally on 

 diets the same as those on which their parents were raised. This is a 

 further demonstration of the nutritive efficiency of this legume, in 

 striking contrast with the adverse results obtained with kidney beans 

 and garden peas." 



Daniels and Nichols * as the result of experiments with rats con- 

 ducted to determine the biologic value of protein supplied by soy 

 beans which had been cooked 30-40 minutes under 15 pounds pres- 

 sure concluded that — 



The value of the protein of the soy bean has been demonstrated in all of our experi- 

 ments. That animals fed rations containing 15.6 and 18.7 per cent of protein obtained 

 solely from the soy bean have grown normally and in the latter case * * * [with 

 the larger percentage of soy-bean protein] have produced successive litters of young, 

 which in turn have reproduced, is sufficient evidence that the protein of the soy bean 

 fulfdls all physiologic requirements. The protein of the soy bean appears to be quite 

 as valuable as the casein of milk. These findings are somewhat surprising in view of 

 the fact that the protein of other legumens, namely peas and white beans, has been 

 found wanting. 



> Jour. Biol. Chcm., 29 (1917), No. 1, p. 77. 



2 Carnegie Inst. Washington Pub. No. 1.56, pt. 2, p. 83. 



3 Jour. Biol. Chem., 32 (1917), No. 3, p. 375. 

 i Jour. Biol. Chem., 32 (1917), No. 1, p. 95. 



