BULLETIN OF THE 



No. 56 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief. 

 January 28, 1914. 



A SPECIAL FLASK FOR THE RAPID DETERMINATION 

 OF WATER IN FLOUR AND MEAL. 



By John H. Cox, 

 Assistant in Grain Standardization. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The special flask which is described in this bulletin is used in con- 

 nection with the Brown-Duvel tester described in Circular No. 72 

 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of 

 Agriculture, entitled "A Moisture Tester for Grain and Other Sub- 

 stances and How to Use It," by Dr. J. W. T. Duvel. The special 

 flask, shown in figure 1, has double walls and was developed for 

 commercial work so that a quick and accurate test could be made 

 of finely ground material, such as flour and meal. The single- 

 walled flask described in the circular mentioned is not suitable for 

 testing finely ground substances, as it does not always give accurate 

 results. The meal when tested in such a flask frequently burns 

 badly at the bottom, and the flask does not clean well and soon 

 breaks, while the double-walled flask may be cleaned without trouble 

 and does not break easily. 



One of the principal causes why corn meal and other finely ground 

 materials deteriorate is the water which they contain. The manu- 

 facturers of these finely ground products can largely eliminate the 

 excess water in their meal and flour by proper precautions. The 

 amount of water in flour or meal can easily be tested in a few min- 

 utes by the use of this special flask, thereby determining whether 

 they contain too much water for safe transportation or storage. 



The tester consists of two or more compartments, so that one 

 or more duplicate sample tests can be run at the same time. There 

 is a flask for each compartment and a gas, alcohol, or gasoline burner 

 beneath each one. Figures 2 and 3 show an external view of a 

 standard 6-compa,rtment water tester ready for use. 



