2IÖ 
M. INOUYE ; 
According to the results obtained by Pellet, only about 5 % of 
the entire nitrogen is non-albuminoid, while in the Japanese 
soya bean, according to the analysis of 0 . Kellner and Kuro- 
shima, it amounts to 7.1 %. 
Meissl and Bucker (Chem. C. B., 1883, p. 619) found that 
there are no gluten-proteids contained in the soya bean and only 
V 
very small quantities of amido-compounds. They extracted the 
beans both with dilute potash and also with 1 % solution of 
sodium chloride, and found in both cases one and the same pro- 
teid, which proved to be a casein closely related to milk-casein 
and to the legumins of other leguminous plants. 
I have confirmed the absence of starch noticed by Kellner 
in the Japanese soya bean, by repeated tests with iodine, while 
observations made in Europe have shown the presence of a very 
small quantity of starch granules. The numbers given above by 
Pellet for starch include also dextrin-like bodies, which were 
closely examined by E. Schulze, who found them to consist of 
two kinds of galactans. He also discovered in them some cane 
sugar and determined the amount of lecithin to be 1.64 %. 
Stingl and Morawski (Chem. C. B., 1886, p. 724) found a 
very active diastatic enzyme, possessed by the soya bean much 
more largely than by many other leguminous seeds. The diges¬ 
tibility of the bean was determined by Giissman. He found that 
90 % of the protein present is digestible, 89.8 % of the fat, and 
14.5 % of the crude fibre. 
The efforts to prepare an easily digestible food from soya 
beans led to the preparation of miso and natto, two kinds of 
vegetable cheese, which were investigated some time ago in the 
laboratory of this College. (I) 
But the most interesting preparation is tofu, which consists 
principally of the protein-matter of the soya bean, and which, 
according to the investigation of Prof. Osciwa in Tokyo, is as 
easily digestible as beef. This preparation is freshly made every 
day, and sold in form of tablets about 10 c.m. broad, 2 c.m. 
thick, and 25 c.m. long, is of snow-white appearance, and of the 
consistency and taste of freshly precipitated casein of milk, but 
(i) On the preparation of miso, by O. Kellner, this Bulletin, Vol. I, No. 6. On 
natto, by Yabe; Bulletin Vol. II., No. 2. 
