THE NUTRITIVE PROPERTIES OF KAFIRIN. 
By ALBERT G. HOGAN. 
(From the Department of Chemistry, Kansas State Agricultural Experiment 
Station, Manhattan.) 
(Received for publication, November 22, 1917.) 
Agriculturists have known for years that the sorghum grains 
are peculiarly adapted to regions of light or insufficient rainfall, 
and for that reason they have urged that larger areas in the semi- 
arid regions be devoted to the culture of kafir, feterita, and milo. 
In view of the drouth-resisting properties of these grains, and 
their increasing economic. importance, it seemed desirable to 
investigate more closely their nutritive value. 
Such knowledge as we have of the individual proteins of kafir 
is largely due to Johns and Brewster (1916). These authors 
found that most of the nitrogenous matter of kafir, about 67 per 
cent of the total protein, was soluble in alcohol, and they coined 
the term kafirin for this particular protein. They made a careful 
chemical examination of the material, and for convenience, some 
of their results are included below. 
Analysis of an average of thirteen samples of kafirin gave: C, 
55.19 per cent; H, 7.36; N, 16.44; 8, 9.60; O, 20.41. The authors 
also determined the percentage of diamino-acids in kafirin by the 
Van Slyke method, with the following results: arginine, 1.58 
per cent; lysine, 0.90; histidine, 1.00; and tryptophane, present. 
Because kafirin forms such a large proportion of the protein 
of kafir, its nutritive properties were studied in some detail. 
A basal ration! was prepared in which, for all practical purposes, 
1 12 percent 15 per cent 
kafirin. kafirin. 
gm. gm. 
EOS 0 Layee SESS re ot Ae 0 Ane ee ee pe 126 157 
Pet ELT OCRTILEK po ore eats cdc. srs, | LEAN SOE 25h, 257 
EUR eye ee 6 oc oh Sis ie Men BI = OA es 300 300 
ATOR Ey aon Sok gee’, Oo as ts eR eee 295 265 
eer RA eM) eed Vi su de Co 2) 5 1. 28a are bach ps ee 20 20 
