126 Maine; agricultuaIv e;xpe;riment station. 1905. 



Relative percentages of starch and dextrin in certain cereal 

 breakfast foods. 



Corn meal. 



Oat meal 



Rolled oats 



Ralston breakfast food 



Malt breakfast food 



Malta vita 



Force 



Grape nuts 



% 



69.5 



63.8 



60.5 



67.9 



71.7 



62.4 



55.4 



49.5 



% 



3.6 

 2.6 

 3.2 

 9.3 

 14.5 

 24.9 



5.5 

 3.7 

 4.3 

 13.0 

 20.7 

 33.5- 



*A. McGill, Bui. 84, Laboratory Internal Revenue Department, Ottawa, Canada. 



How far is the value of these foods proportional to the solu- 

 bility of the carbohydrates which they contain ? This is a diffi- 

 cult question to answer, since the operations that bring about the 

 desired mechanical changes in the starch at the same time induce 

 chemical changes. It is safe to say that the average person in 

 good health is able to digest starches in which there has been 

 but little dextrinization, provided the starch grains have under- 

 gone the exfoliation or "popping" previously alluded to. The 

 figures just quoted reveal the presence of but little dextrin in the 

 ordinary rolled wheat or rolled oats as purchased. In the cook- 

 ing to which they are afterward subjected dextrin is produced 

 in much larger quantities. We may conclude, therefore, that 

 the dextrinization of these goods by the manufacturers is in itself 

 of little importance, so far as the digestibility of the food is con- 

 cerned, unless the preparations are to be eaten without further 

 cooking. 



There is no evidence that maltose as a food is of any more 

 value than dextrin. So far as the writer is aware, the amount 

 of this sugar in the malted foods has never been determined. 

 It is probably not large, since the long continued action of the 

 ferment by which it is formed would produce undesirable flavors. 



