Dec. i, 1925 A Chemical Study of the Flesh of Emaciated Cattle 
1007 
In continuing the chemical examination of emaciated carcasses 
the analytical work was restricted to those constituents which, in 
the light of the preliminary experiments, appeared to be of significance, 
viz, moisture, ash, fat, total nitrogen, and sometimes sugar and urea. 
Twenty hind quarters of beef from a like number of extremely 
emaciated cattle were examined and the results are reported in 
Table V. 
Table V. —Composition of flesh of extremely emaciated cattle 
[Results are expressed in terms of percentages of the fresh material] 
Sample No. 
Mois¬ 
ture 
Ash 
Total 
nitro¬ 
gen 
Protein 
(NX 
6.25) 
Ratio 
protein 
to 
mois¬ 
ture 
Ether 
extract 
Urea 
Glyco¬ 
gen 
Dex¬ 
trose 
Per cent 
Per ceni Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
•689_ ... 
79.96 
0.96 
3.14 
19.63 
1:4.1 
0.43 
None. 
707_ 
79.75 
1.01 
3.14 
19.63 
1:4.1 
.34 
None. 
711_ 
81.39 
.96 
2.88 
18.00 
1:4.5 
- .38 
\ 
737_ 
79. 77 
1.04 
3.12 
19.50 
1:4.1 
.93 
( 
739_ __ 
82.11 
.88 
2.77 
17.31 
1:4.7 
.46 
I 
747_ ... 
79.68 
.91 
2.99 
18.69 
1:4.3 
.71 
748_ 
77.38 
.96 
3.24 
20.25 
1:3.8 
1.13 
749_ 
78.87 
.99 
3.26 
20.38 
1:3.9 
.58 
752_ 
79.59 
1.07 
3.11 
19.44 
1:4.1 
.28 
809_ 
80.97 
.96 
3.02 
18.88 
1:4.3 
.29 
. 
810. 
79.76 
.98 
3.12 
19.50 
1:4.1 
.33 
i :: 
811_ 
81.24 
1. 05 
2.91 
18.19 
1:4.5 
.38 
i 
*900_ 
81.20 
.92 
2.92 
18.25 
1:4.4 
.62 
■901... 
80. 75 
.96 
2.90 
18.13 
1:4.5 
.54 
1006_ 
79.74 
1.01 
3.09 
19. 31 
1:4.1 
.45 
0.012 
None. 
None. 
1009...__ 
79. 75 
.94 
3.02 
18.88 
1:4.2 
.33 
.012 
None. 
None. 
1085_ . . 
80.40 
.99 
2.96 
18. 50 
1:4.3 
.25 
.022 
None. 
1087_ 
79.02 
1.08 
3.14 
19.63 
1:4.0 
.23 
.023 
None. 
1100 _ 
80. 21 
1.00 
2.85 
17.81 
1:4.5 
.22 
.006 
0.18 
1101 _ 
80. 31 
1.03 
2.89 
18.06 
1:4.4 
.21 
.16 
Maximum_ 
82.11 
1.08 
3.26 
20.38 1 
1:4.7 
1.13 
i 1 
Minimum.. 
77. 38 
.88 
2 . 77 
17.31 
1:3.8 
.21 
1 
Average._ 
80.09 
.99 
3.02 
18.90 
1:4.2 
.45 
i 
" "l '1 
The flesh of the extremely emaciated cattle was again found to be 
characterized by a high moisture content as compared with that of 
fat cattle. The percentages of moisture in the 20 samples of flesh 
reported in Table V range from 77.38 to 82.11, the average being 
80.09. Eighteen samples contained in excess of 79 per cent of 
moisture. By referring to Table III it will be noted that the average 
moisture content of the flesh from five fat cattle is 74.20 per cent, 
or when the results are calculated on the fat-free basis the percentage 
of moisture is 76.27 (Table IV). 
The percentage of ash in the muscle tissue from the emaciated 
cattle ranges from 0.88 to 1.08, the average being 0.99. These 
figures are to be compared with an average of 1.07 per cent ash in 
the muscle tissue from fat cattle (Table III) or to 1.10 per cent in 
the fat-free muscle tissue from the same animals (Table IV). 
The protein content of the samples of flesh from the emaciated 
cattle ranges from 17.31 to 20.38 per cent, the average being 18.90 
per cent. The percentage of protein in the flesh from fat cattle is 
21.50 (Table III), or 22.09 in the fat-free tissue (Table IV). 
The ratio between protein and moisture in the samples of flesh 
from the emaciated cattle ranges from 1:3.8 to 1:4.7, the average 
being 1:4.2. Seventeen of the twenty samples show ratios wider 
