Evening star., 1941-02-02
Alcohol Mash 'Buq'
May Yield Vitamin
Supply for Flour
RibofIovin Moy Be Needed
IF Breed Cost Will NOT
Be Forced Higher
(No. S OF a series.)
Nv THOMAS r. HENRY,

A microscopic bug" which oper-
ates in the corn mash from which
butyl alcohol Is made may make
possible the addition to American
-four in the near future of infinitesi-
NAL amounts of a substance which
Is probably essential to life and
which might add greatly to the
morale of the American people.
The Food and Drug Administra-
ton is debating a requirement that
ribof1avin-the yellowish-green col
oring substance best known in skim
fr1ilk-be added to the new fortified
flour which it is proposed to intro
duce in the next few months.
1t can be synthesized, but only
by complex and expensive process.
The present minimum price is about
s55 an ounce 1t is proposed to put
about a -thousandth of an
ounce in a loaf of bread. The cost
would add a material fraction to
loaf of bread, which it is desired
to avoid.
Cost Can Be Reduced.
Very recently, say Food and Drug
Administration officials, they have
learned of a patented process which
cuts the price at least in half. When
all the volatile solvents are removed
from mash there is left the re-
mainder of liquor very rich in
riboflavin which has been Synthe-
sized in the bodies of minute bacilli.
They are anxious to add the vita
min to the -four formula if the price
can be kept within reason because,
while the human requirement is still
unknown, 1t has become increasingly
evident in the last two years that
men cannot live without it. 1t is
present in every call of the human
body. 1t presumably is essential
for the same processes of burning
sugar and starches which also re-
quire thiamin chloride and NICOTINE
acid which it already has been de-
cided to put in bread.
Only one specific human disease
is known to be due to lack of the
vitamin. Some cases of supposed
pellagra have not cleared up as ex-
pected after administration of nico-
tinic acid. There have been left a
complex of symptoms, including
cracks in the skin, which disap-
peared very quickly when riboflavin
was given in small doses.
May Explain Badness.
There have, however, been extern
sive experiments with animals.
Kept on a ribof1avin deficient diet,
their growth is stunted, their hair
falls out, they develop eye cataracts,
and there is a general failure in
physical well-being. 1t seems likely
that the same is true for human
beings. Some cases of badness may
be due to lack of the vitamin.
It is widely distributed in nature.
but not in foods which are widely
eaten The chief sources, as deter
mined through surveys by the
Bureau of Home Economics, are in
liver, kidneys, lean muscle meats.
peanuts and wheat germ. The
poorer elements of the population
get very little OF any of these. All,
however. eat bread and will con-
ttnue II it can be kept at reason
able price.
Strenuous efforts are being made
TO have flour carry another vital
element, but at present the Food
and Drug Administration is frown-
ing upon the proposal. This ele-
ment Is calcium. 1t is, for one
thing, the element out Of which
bones are made. 1t is essential for
the teeth. Experiments conducted
at Columbia University have shown
that with rats-and it is highly
probable that the same holds true
for humans-supplies far above
those actually required by the body
lengthen average life by as much
as a fourth and also lengthen the
life of future generations.
Use of Calcium Would Be Cheap.
While some of the results are in
dispute, Food and Drug Admins
tration officials do not question the
vital Importance of the element.
1t would be easy and cheap to i'm
pregnate flour with calcium A lit
tie chalk mixed with it probably
would turn the trick and nobody
would notice that a substitution
had been made.
Calcium is common in nature.
One of the best sources is milk and
there is some fear that families
would be encouraged to cut down
on their milk supply if they felt
they were getting the same food
ingredients out of bread. Milk con-
tains so many other vital ingredi-
ents that cannot be incorporated in
-four that this would be tragic.
The new American bread which,
1t is expected. will form approxi-
mately quarter of the total food
supply of the American people,
must not be made into a nostrum
or a medicine, say the Food and
Drug Administration heads. Furth-
ermore, it must not cost much more
than tenth of a cent a loaf more
than the bread now eaten.