Pulse or Leguminous Seeds. 119 



Legumin occurs in largest proportion and in the larger number 

 of kinds of pulse ; conglutin is said to be chiefly characteristic of the 

 lupine. With all these compounds much phosphate or phosphorus 

 is associated ; it is always difficult 'and sometimes impossible to 

 separate this substance from the vegetable caseins. 



For the purpose of calculation it will be quite sufficient to 

 assume one composition for the albuminoids of all vegetable foods 

 including pulse. We assume, throughout the present work, that 

 all these albuminoids contain iS'Sy per cent, of nitrogen, so that 

 we may always calculate the amount of albuminoids present by 

 multiplying the nitrogen found in an analysis by the coefficient 

 6'3 ; for 15-87 x 6 -3 = 99-98 1, practically 100. It is quite true 

 that some of the samples of legumin extracted from pulse contain 

 nearly 1 7 per cent, of nitrogen, but the amount is often lower, and 

 we shall not be led into any serious error by adopting the figure 

 named above. 



Another point connected with the nitrogen of pulse must be 

 here noted. Some of this nitrogen exists in the form of nitrogen 

 compounds which are not albuminoid — which are not flesh-formers, 

 in fact, and which, for all we know, may be entirely without 

 nutritive value. These substances are simpler in constitution than 

 the albuminoids, and are often of the nature of alkaloids — lupinine, 

 a bitter basic substance from lupines, is one of these, asparagine is 

 another. But the quantity of nitrogen existing in pulse in the form 

 of non-albuminoid compounds of all kinds is small, not exceeding 

 3 to 5 per cent, of the total albuminoids in the common kinds of 

 ripe pulse ; in the seeds, stems, and pods of the unripe plants it is 

 very much larger. 



The digestibility of the albuminoids in pulse as compared with 

 that of the corresponding compounds in the cereal grains, has been 

 usually regarded as low. In general, they are not only digested 

 and absorbed at a slower rate, but a larger proportion of the total 

 amount present remains unattacked and unused in its passage 

 along the alimentary tract. The proportion of unused to used 

 albuminoids is proportionately highest when the pulse forms the 

 largest part of the ration ; it is much reduced when the pulse con- 



