Dec. 1,1925 A Chemical Study of the Flesh of Emaciated Cattle 1011 
ing are the effects of long-continued undernutrition on the weights 
of the carcasses and organs of steers, as shown in Table I. In addi¬ 
tion to these data it is reported that the steer that had been fed the 
submaintenance ration for the shorter period (6 months) had lost 
more than two-thirds of its adipose tissue, and the animal fed the 
same ration for the longer period (11 months) had lost 95 per cent 
of its fatty tissue. Also, the bone marrow of the latter steer contained 
practically no fat. 
Moulton (11) determined the composition of the flesh of the above- 
mentioned steers, and as a result he concludes that “ inanition or 
partial starvation does not cause a watery musculature.” Although 
this statement is fully warranted as applying to the two animals m 
question, it is hardly justified as applying to emaciated cattle in 
general, as is apparent from the analyses which have been made of 
the flesh of cattle in advanced stages of emaciation (Tables III and 
IV), and from the work of Feder (I) (Table II). 
From an examination of the data which have been presented herein 
concerning the composition of the flesh of fat, extremely emaciated, 
and very thin cattle, it is apparent that the flesh of the extremely 
emaciated cattle differs very materially from that of the fat cattle, 
and to a lesser extent from that of the very thin cattle. Although 
these differences are apparent in the moisture and in the protein 
content of the flesh from the two classes of animals, they are mani¬ 
fested more clearly and consistently in the protein-moisture ratio. 
This ratio has already found use in the detection of water added 
to sausage, in which connection a ratio of 1: 4.0 is generally recognized 
as the upper limit for moisture in fresh, sound meat. Thus, as a 
consequence of investigations carried on from 1909 to 1912 by E, A. 
Boyer, in charge of the meat-inspection laboratory at Omaha, Nebr., 
this ratio has been used in the laboratories of the Bureau of Animal 
Industry since 1913 as a basis for the detection of added water in 
sausage. Although the result of Boyer’s investigation has never been 
published, reference is made to it in the report of the Chief of the 
Bureau of Animal Industry for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1913 
(10), in which it is stated that the addition of water to sausage may 
be detected by determining the protein-moisture ratio of the finished 
product. 
The use of the ratio of protein to moisture, or of nonfatty organic 
matter to moisture, has also been used for some time in Germany as a 
basis for detecting added water in chopped meat or sausage. Thus 
Feder (1), in one of his earlier communications, recommended the 
use of the ratio between the fat-free organic matter and water as a 
basis for the detection of added water in meat-food products, pointing 
out that this ratio is fairly constant for fresh meats, and in case of 
beef or pork sausage meats does not vary appreciably from 1: 4.0. 
This early work of Feder has been confirmed by later work by the 
same author and by that of other German investigators, so that now 
the ratio of nonfatty organic matter to moisture appears to have found 
widespread use in Germany as a means of detecting added water in 
sausage and minced meat. The ratio of 1: 4.0 is generally accepted 
as the standard for normal meat. 
Grossfeld (f) found that the protein content (Nx6. 25) did not 
differ appreciably from that of organic nonfatty material, and so 
recommended the use of the ratio between protein and moisture 
