4 BULLETIN 687, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
In view of the very large amount of this oil that is produced an- 
nually, its value for edible purposes is a matter of very considerable 
interest. McPherson and Ruth 1 studied the possibility of the use of 
corn oil for shortening purposes and found that pastry made with 
mixtures of lard and corn oil in amounts not exceeding 10 per cent of 
the latter was identical in quality with pastry in which lard alone 
was used. Eitter 2 in a report of a study of the use of corn oil as a 
fat food in the treatment of tuberculosis states : " The ingestion of 
corn oil is well tolerated * * * and the prolonged and increasing 
dosage is always well borne by the stomach." 
In the determination of the digestibility of a number of edible fats 
Moore 3 found that guinea pigs fed on wheat bran on which corn oil 
had been blown in a fine spray digested 86.47 per cent of the corn oil. 
In order that the corn oil studied should be representative of corn 
oil as purchased by the average consumer two lots manufactured by 
different concerns were purchased on the open market at different 
seasons of the year. Both of these oils were stored under laboratory 
conditions for a time before being used for the tests here reported. 
Experiments Xos. 389. 390, 391. and 392 were made with one of the 
oils and experiments Xos. 689, 690. and 691 were made with the 
second oil. Since no marked differences were noted, it is to be as- 
sumed that the oils were very similar in their physiological action. 
Seven experiments in which different subjects assisted are herewith 
reported, the data being summarized in the following tables : 
Data of digestion experiments with corn oil in a simple mixed diet. 
Weight 
of food. 
Constituents of foods. 
Experiments, subjects, and diet. 
Water. 
Pro- 
tein. 
-p of Carbohy- 
- tar - drates. 
Ash. 
Experiment No. 389, subject D. G. G.: 
Blancmange containing corn oil 
Grams. 
1,983.0 
485. 
831.0 
81.0 
Grams. 
901.1 
43.6 
722.1 
Grams. 
37.1 
51.4 
6.6 
Grams. 
247.3 
7.3 
1.7 
Grams. 
786.2 
374.9 
96.4 
81.0 
Grams. 
11.3 
7.8 
Eruit 
4.2 
C" 
Total food consumed 
3,380.0 
94.0 
1,666.8 
95.1 
31.1 
64.0 
256.3 
15-3 
241.0 
1,338.5 
39.1 
1,299.4 
23.3 
8.5 
14.8 
Per cent utilized 
67.3 
94.0 | 97 1 
63.5 
Experiment No. 390, subject A. J. H.: 
Blancmange containing corn oil 
Wheat biscuit 
2,571.0 
561.0 
1,406.0 
27.0 
1,168.3 
50.5 
1,221.8 
48.1 
59.4 
11.3 
320.6 
8.4 
2.8 
1,019.4 
433.7 
163.1 
27.0 
14.6 
9.0 
Emit 
7.0 
4,565.0 
101.0 
2,440.6 
118.8 
31.7 
87.1 
331.8 
18.3 
313.5 
1,643.2 
40.5 
1,602.7 
30.6 
10.5 
20.1 
73.3 
94.5 97.5 
65.7 

iAnn. Rpt. Ohio Dairy and Food Comr., 21 (1906), pp. 1! 
\Tour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 51 (1908), No. 1, pp. 39, 40. 
Arkansas Sta. Bui. 78 (1903), pp. 33-41. 
