Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-09-03
aQntmltural.
Chemical Composition OF Wheat
kIour.

L IvkA-
x,,DrST OF NUTRITIOUS ELEHEJTs II B3L-
~.nkSs UaBOLTED FL0UR, COMPARATIVELY.
series OF exper nents mas been MADE
L. Nc. !. q. LAwEs and Dir. J. II. GILa-ET,
fr the object of determining the ccmpaF-
eve amount Of nitroge L, pho: :Paoric acid,
&c in -four OF different degr Is of fnenes<,
or, IN other words, in superlne Hour, Ene
-four, and that which contained more or less
branny matter. From the results OF these
experiments published in the ouerieriy
Journal of the Chemical Society, (Lpndon. J
for April last, appears that the per cPniage
of nitrogen was about one and huii as
ereut in the bran as in the finer ftours. Even
after including all the coarser portions o.
-four which are usually considered fit icT
bresd-making, still the excluded hrahry
parts contained considerably higher per
centage Of nitrogen.
Turning TO me GsheS Of the respective
products of ground wheat, there was io"nd
to be much larger production OF matter
insoIuble in acid in those of the finer flours
than in thuse OF The cOarser braEs- On the
other hand, there was considerably ;he
highest per centage of pkoSPhoric acid III
the ash OF the 5rans The magnesa was
also the higher in the ash OF the brans; and
the potash and lime the higher in that OF Tie
fours. The pr1pO RI ion in which the more
important constituents of wheat a'e con
tuined severa;ly in the usually edible il .urS,
and in the branny matter, was tGund to be:
On. all average, about s foilows:-ln the
f1ours commonly considered lit for bread,
nearly three-fo,rths of the total, nitrogen; {;
about one-thrj or two-fifihs OF the Total.
mineral matter, and only about one-ihird
OF the total, phosploric acid. Notwithsiand-
irg Tie higher per centage of nigrogen,and
the actual amcunts of the mineral cons'l-
fpents OF the grain contained Ia the branny
portions, the writer's of the paper were ol
opinion that such were he affects OF the
branny particles in.iEcreasing the peristaluc
movements of The bowels. and thus clearing
the alimentary canal more rapidly ofits coL-
tents, that il was questionable whether in
the generality of cases, more nutriment
would not be lost to the 5, stem by the I'D
mission into tic focd of the imperfect y 'di-
vidti b-anry PARTICLES, than would be gained
l. the introduction into the body in con-
neXiOn with these irritating or cathartlc
particles, of a larger amount of supposed
nutritious matters. The action alluded TO,
that is, the well-known effects OF unbolted
-four in increasing the frequency OF the
movements of The bowels, nay indeed be
conductive to health with those OF u slug
gish habit, the sedentals, or the over-fed;
bat with those who do not come under
either OF these descriptions or classes, the
benefits delivable from TIE use of un5olted
or Graham -four. especially N those whose
diet is in other respects innutrltous or
scsnty, may be more than counter balanced
by its tendency to irritate or quicken ii e
movements of the bowels.
From another set of experiments, it ap
pears that the average yield OF bread, with
fours Of varying fneness, was rather mere
tbaH lS5 for every loo OF flour. TIE aver
age OF nineteen experiments with fine flour
composed cfthe products OF the first three
wires mixed together, gave produce of
abOu: 1871 of bread for every 100 of flour.
OF 100 parts of bread, about 60 were dry
subs tanre, ind 81 water. Bakers loavcs
procured in the country, gave an average OF
81 per cent, of dry substance and SO Of
water while loaves procured in London gave
rather more than 64 of dry mattter and Sc
withdrawn from the oven.