Observations on Pancreatic Rennet. 3 



The observation of several investigators that vitamin C is in- 

 creased when peas, lentils, and beans are germinated has been 

 verified in the case of mongo. Ten grams of mongo as daily 

 supplement to the scorbutic diet failed to protect guinea pigs 

 from scurvy, while five grams of fresh togi as supplement to the 

 same scorbutic diet cured three guinea pigs of the disease. 



3 (i75o) 



Observations on pancreatic rennet. 



By ALBERT A. EPSTEIN. 



[From the Department of Physiological Chemistry, 

 Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City.] 



Pawlow and Parastschuk, 1 Vernon 2 as well as Delezenne 3 have 

 called attention to the presence of rennet in the pancreatic secre- 

 tion of experimental animals. Wohlgemuth 4 claims to have found 

 it in human pancreatic secretion, but not without some difficulty. 

 Notwithstanding these observations some doubt seems to exist in 

 the minds of a number of investigators in this field. Textbooks 

 on physiology do not class rennet with the other pancreatic fer- 

 ments. 



Fresh or well-preserved dried preparations of pancreatic ex- 

 tract ordinarily do not show any milk coagulating ferment. 

 When solutions of such extracts are permitted to deteriorate the 

 rennet function comes into evidence. While studying the pan- 

 creatic ferments I have found that the presence of rennet in ex- 

 tracts of this organ may be demonstrated constantly in a number 

 of different ways. 



1 . Rennet may be liberated by heating a solution of the extract 

 from 50 to 65 0 C. for a period of about 10-15 minutes; the most 

 favorable temperature being 6o° C. Flocculation usually occurs 

 upon heating, but the ferment remains in solution. 



2. The addition of suitable amounts of hydrochloric acids re- 

 veals the presence of rennet. 



1 Pawlow, J. P., and Parastschuk, S. W., Zeitschrift fur Physiologische, 1904, xlii, 



415- 



2 Vernon, H. M., Journal of Physiology, 1903, xxix, 302. 



3 Delezenne, Soc. Biol., 1907, lxiii, 98. 



4 Wohlgemuth, Biochem. Zeitschrift, 1917, ii, 350. 



