Mar. is, 1925 Polypeptides and Amino Acids in Maize Kernel 
591 
Table III .—Partition of the nonprotein nitrogen in the ungerminated maize kernel 
(hot-water extraction and phosphotungstic-acid method) 
Variety of corn 
Nitrogen 
in 
phospho- 
tungstic 
precipi¬ 
tate 
Nitrogen 
of acid 
amides 
Nitrogen 
of ammo 
acids 
Peptide 
nitrogen 
Data expressed in percentage of the oven-dried maize kernel: 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Four County corn....... 
0.076 
0.032 
0.045 
0.069 
United States selection No. 77__ .... 
.061 
.019 
.040 
.050 
Hall Gold Nugget, selection No. 193.... 
.076 
.021 
.051 
.036 
Data expressed in percentage of the total nitrogen of the maize 
kernel: 
Four County corn....... 
4.47 
1.88 
2. 65 
4.06 
United States selection No. 77.. 
3.84 
1.19 
2.52 
3.14 
Hall Gold Nugget selection No. 193.... 
5. 21 
1.44 
3.49 
2. 47 
Data expressed in percentage of the water-soluble nitrogen of the 
maize kernel: 
Four County corn..... 
37.35 
15.61 
21.97 
34.07 
United States selection No. 77.... 
40.11 
12.18 
26.67 
32.79 
Hall Gold Nugget selection No. 193... 
39.57 
11.20 
26.95 
19.17 
higher than that of the polypeptides. 
From the fact that the percentage of 
acid amides, amino acids, and poly¬ 
peptides obtained by the phospho- 
tungstic acid method is not essentially 
different from the results secured by 
the first method (without phospho- 
tungstic acid treatment), it follows 
that under the conditions outlined the 
amount of proteose in the aqueous 
extract of the maize kernel is quite 
insignificant. 
It seemed of certain interest to com¬ 
pare the results at hand with those 
found for the wheat kernel. The 
average figures of Table IV were cal¬ 
culated from the Tables II, III, and 
IV of the paper on wheat (8 ). 
Table IV .—Partition of the nonprotein 
nitrogen in the ungerminated wheat 
kernel. 
Variety of wheat 
Nitrogen 
of acid 
amides 
Nitrogen 
of amino 
acids 
Peptide 
nitrogen 
Data expressed in 
percentage of the 
oven-dried wheat 
kernel: 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Fultz... 
0.026 
0.032 
0.084 
Kanred_ 
.053 
.067 
.111 
Kubanka_ 
.052 
.041 
.155 
Marquis_ 
.058 
.054 
.151 
Data expressed in 
percentage of the 
total nitrogen of 
the wheat kernel: 
Fultz_ 
1.46 
1.77 
4.67 
Kanred. 
1 . 88 
2. 35 
3.89 
Kubanka.._ 
1.72 
1.35 
3.13 
Marquis. 
1.91 
1.77 
4.98 
Data expressed in 
percentage of the 
water-soluble ni¬ 
trogen of the 
wheat kernel: 
Fultz. 
8 . 76 
10.66 
28.09 
Kanred_ 
12 . 99 
16. 25 
26.86 
Kubanka. 
12.61 
9.91 
37.76 
Marquis. .. 
12. 33 
11. 46 
32.20 
When Tables III and IV are ex¬ 
amined it is readily seen that, with but 
few exceptions, the nitrogen of amino 
acids is higher in the maize kernel 
than in the wheat kernel, while the 
reverse is true of the peptide nitrogen. 
As to nitrogen of acid amides the figures 
are rather fluctuating, the total differ¬ 
ence between the maize and the wheat 
kernel being not very considerable. 
CONCLUSIONS 
Polypeptides and free amino acids, 
which have been shown in this paper to 
be present in the ungerminated maize 
kernel, are performed in it. 
The amino nitrogen in the varieties 
Four County corn, United States se¬ 
lection 77, and Hall Gold Nugget selec¬ 
tion 193, makes up, respectively, 0.045, 
0.040, and 0.051 per cent calculated on 
the basis of the oven-dried kernel, and 
2.65, 2.52, and 3.49 per cent calculated 
on the basis of the total nitrogen. . 
The peptide nitrogen in the varieties 
Four County corn, United States selec¬ 
tion 77, and Hall Gold Nugget selec¬ 
tion 193 makes up, respectively, 0.069, 
0.050, and 0.036 per cent calculated to 
the oven-dried kernel, and 4.06, 3.14, 
and 2.47 per cent calculated to its total 
nitrogen. 
The proportions of acid amide nitro¬ 
gen in the ungerminated kernel of the 
varieties Four County corn, United 
States selection 77, and Hall Gold 
Nugget selection 193 are, respectively, 
0.032, 0.019, and 0.021 per cent calcu¬ 
lated on the oven-dried kernel, and 
1.88, 1.19, and 1.44 per cent calculated 
on its total nitrogen. 
The varieties Four County corn and 
Hall Gold Nugget selection 193 are, 
respectively, characterized by the high¬ 
est and the lowest percentage of their 
total nitrogen, as well as of their protein 
nitrogen. 
