10 BULLETIN .717, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
borne 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 a 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 
ltiels included the peanut meal indicated that this material ranks 
high as a supplement to corn gluten. Asa 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 erowth of isolated proteins included in a diet consisting 
of an isolated protein, protein-free milk, starch, agar, and fat that 
they were able to secure active growth with casein, ovalbumin, 
lactalbumin, edestin, glutenin, and glycinin (soy-bean protein), and 
that they uote 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 
young have been produced, and these young have grown normally on 
diets the same as those on which their parents were raised. This isa 
further demonstration of the nutritive efficiency of this legume, in 
striking contrast vo 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 ef young, 
which in turn have reproduced, is sufficient evidence that the protein of the soy bean 
fulfills 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. 
1 Jour. Biol. Chem., 29 (1917), No. 1, p. 77. 
2 Carnegie Inst. Washington Pub, No. 156, pt. 2, p. 83. 
3 Jour. Biol. Chem., 32 (1917), No. 3, p. 375. 
4 Jour. Biol, Chem., 32 (1917), No. 1, p. 95. 
