8 
grams daily is quite well assimilated and i# suited for use as human 
food. 
HARD-PALATE FAT. 
The so-called " hard palates " are taken from the roof of the mouth 
of beef animals. In appearance they are very unattractive, pos- 
sessing a black or white, rough, ribbed outer surface, and contain 
little muscular tissue. According to information obtained from the 
Bureau of Animal Industry, 1 several of the large packing establish- 
ments utilize the hard palates of cattle in the preparation of edible 
products, such as potted meats, sausage, etc. One establishment is 
reported as saving about 2,500 pounds monthly, another about 6,000 
pounds monthly. In view of this rather extensive use of hard palates 
for food purposes, it appeared very desirable to ascertain the digesti- 
bility of this material, and accordingly seven experiments were con- 
ducted in this laboratory, and it was found that the protein was ap- 
proximately 87 per cent digested. 2 Some attention was paid also to 
the fat of the hard palates, and its possible uses for culinary purposes 
emphasized the desirability of studying its digestibility. 
In the preparation of the hard palates for use in the experiments 
referred to they were boiled for two to three hours, a yellow fat 
being extracted during the process. While hard palates contain 
only a small amount of this fat — about 11 per cent — of which ap- 
proximately one-half is extracted by boiling the hard palates for 
two or three hours, the total yield of packing houses preparing two 
or three tons per month of hard palates for edible purposes is evi- 
dently of commercial importance. 
The hard-palate fat used in this study was obtained by boiling 
palates for two or three hours in a large amount of water. About 
100 pounds of fresh hard palates secured from a local abattoir were 
extracted in this manner. The fat, which floated to the top of the 
liquor, hardened on cooling and was removed and purified by re- 
melting several times in boiling water. It had a yellow color, was 
without characteristic taste, and resembled butter somewhat in ap- 
pearance, though it was more granular. 
As previously reported, 3 it was found to have a melting point of 
34° C, an iodin number of 52.53, and a refractive index of 1.4586. 
Three subjects assisted in the study of this fat. The results of 
the tests are reported in the following tables : 
1 Personal communication. 
2 Digestibility of Hard Palates of Cattle, Jour. Agr. Research, 6 (1916), No. 17. 
3 Loc. cit. 
