Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-02-23
" BREWERS GRAINS"
VALUE OF THE PRODUCT FOR
FOOD TO MICH COWS,

VALUE OF THE PRODUCT FOR
FOOD TO MlLcH COWS.
A Matter OF Considerable Importance to OuI
Farmers and Dairymen-Their Use Scientifi.
cally Considered From Practical Experiment
and Deduction. as Well as Positive Results.
Presented in Late Address by Dr.. Wah, ol
Chicago. Before the National Association ol
State Dairy and Food Departments.
Does the feeding OF brewers Grains"
influence the quality of the dairy pro.
ducts?
The enormous quantity of brewers
grains, over half million tons yearly,
calculated as ordinary dry grains,
makes the question of tho value of
this product as food for the milch
COW highly important one.
That IL is a most nutritious material
is undeniable. Numerous analyses
have shown that int the ordinary state
of dryness they contain:
Of albuminoids over 20 per cent.
OF fat over 6 per cent.
And Of carbohydrates (starch, su-
gar. etc. 40 to so per cent.
Had the brewers grains been used
exclusively in the dry state, there
would probably have never been any
objections raised against them as a
food for milch cows, The wet grains,
however, containing as they do when
they leave the mash tub, about IS per
cent. of water, are liable to undergo
changes, especially in warm weather,
changes produced by fermentation and
putrefsctlon.
During the MASKING of the malt the
greater part of the starch is changed
into soluble substances, sugar and
gumlike substances, comprised under
the name OF dextrins. The album.
inoids of the malt are only partly ex-
tracted, usually about 40 to As per
cent. of the total albuminoids are
brought into solution and enter the
wort. The other S. to 60 per cent.
remain in the grains in very much the
same state as they existed in the
barley previous to the mailing. Be.
sides these insoluble albuminoids
small percentage OF the soluble albu.
minoids which enter into solution in
the wort at lower temperatures in
the beginning of the mashing opera.
ton are thrown down again by the
higher temperature at which the mash-
ing is finished. These coagulated al
buminoids may properly be compared
to the hard boiled white OF an egg,
and add considerably to the richness
of the grains.
BY the removal of the wort and the
consequent washing of the grains,
with hot water, the soluble carbohyd-
rates, sugar and dextrin, as we'll as tho
soluble albuminoids are eliminated
from the grains as completely as is
practicable. There remains, never
theless, q certain small percentage of
these substances dissolved in the wa
ter contained in the wet grains.
It is due to these soluble substances.
especially the sugar and the soluble
albuminoids, that the wet grains easily
enter into fermentation and putrefac-
ton, most readily when exposed to the
air at high summer temperature.
The malt contains various species Of
bacteria which ct a favorable tempera-
ture and with . proper amount OF
moisture, rapidly increase. Most i'm.
portant of these micro.organisms are
the tactic acid bacteria. As their
name indicates they produce the or.
ganic acid found in sour milk, the
Tactic acid.
In the presence OF albuminoids, the
sugar contained in the vet grains 10
split by these bacteria into Tactic acid.
This formation of acid causes the
souring of the grains. The expression
souring is here used solely to indicate
the acquisition of sour or acid taste.
II the fermentation is arrested at
this stage, no bad odor is produced,
since the Tactic acid is a non.volatile
and, consequently, odorless liquid.
1t is . we'll known fact that the
Tactic acid has q very beneficial action
upon the digestion. Beer as we'll as
buttermilk (sour milky have earned
their popularity as healthy and re.
freshing drinks to great extent from
the Tactic acid contained in them.
Both have from time immemorial been
the favorite drinks of the Teutonic
races.
That the Tactic acid of the wet
grains has an equally beneficial in.
fluence upon the digestive functions
of the COW can be taken for granted
That the flow OF milk is improved by
this acid is belief held by many.
The acid fermentation if allowed to
60 on will not, however, stop at the
Tactic stage. When the amount ol
this acid has reached q cert ain per.
centage it acts as . check on the fur
ther activity OF the Tactic acid bac'
terra. Then another species, the
butyric acid bacteria succeeds the lac
tic acid bacteria, especially at high
) temperature.
The butyric acid bacteria are capa
} BILE of turning not only the sugar but
also the Tactic acid into butyric acid
the acid of rancid butter. This acid
is a volatile liquid of . disagreeable
sour odor, and its formation gives te
the wet grains their haracteristic'o odol
resembling that Of sauerkraut.
When we consider that this acid
the butyric acid, is a component par,
of butter, in which il is found as 6
glycerine ester, it would be unreason
able to suppose that this acid could b.
, injurious to the COW, at least in suct
quantities as are found in the grains
On the contrary it might we'll be helG
that such q substance would act bene
ficially upon tho production of mill
and butter.
It is, therefore, not surprising tha
,, the practical tests bear out such sr
opinion. In the report of the New
York Agricultural Experiment Sta
: ton about brewers Grains % Foot
. for Mich Cows" (1S84) is found thi
= statement: "We have thus our an