Evening star., 1949-11-07
Special Study Under Way
On Food Needs of Aoed
Human Volunteers Cooperate With
Mellon Institute
By Thomas r. Henry

The processing of "baby foods" has be-
come major American industry tn the last
80 years. In the next few decades an indus
try Of equal Importance may be engaged in
turning out foods especially adapted for old
people.
A fellowship recently has been established
at the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh to ex-
plore the needs and possibilities.
The proportion of persons IS or older has
risen steadily from per cent in 1870 to 7la
per cent in 1947 says the Institutes an
nouncement OF this new research field. Ac.
cording to actuarial data, the Institute con-
tinues, it is probable that in the future there
will be more than 100000 such persons in
the United States compared with II 900 900
at present. The problem of filling the dietary
requirements of this large segment of the
population no doubt will become of increas-
ing interest to food professors.
= Like infants, 1t is pointed out, the aged
require easily digestible foods. But likes and
dislikes developed over lifetimes make the
problem much more complicated than the
baby food problem.
While the project is getting under way two
lines Of investigation are being followed. A
testtube method has been evolved for
studying the digestibility of various cereals.
Far-reaching tests are being made with
human volunteers to determine the nutri.
tional value Of various proteins, the nitrogen
containing food substances which become
the building stones of the body. Other
studies are aimed at improving the flavors
and nutritional values of common foods.
**
A new synthetic rubber which retains all
its properties through the enormous tenn
perature range from 400 degrees Fahrenheit
to -150 F. has been produced at the Mellon
Institute
1t especially has been devised, according
to an Institute announcement, for use at
extremely low temperatures such as might
be encountered by airplanes at great
heights.
The new rubber is one of the "silic6nes,"
in the composition of whose molecule the
element silica, replacing carbon, is Of great
importance previous rubber-like mate
rial Of the same class is able to retain its
elasticity and electrical resistance up to tenn
peratures Of 500 F. It is of particular value
for ducts and seals on airplane engines and
for insulated cables.
Silicones, Institute scientists explain, rep
resent radically new types of materials which
must be synthesized in the laboratory since
they do not exist in nature. They can be
made. however, with very similar proper
ties to those OF natural materials, but with.
out some Of the defects. =
The new products are being synthesized
by the Institute in a cooperative project
sponsored jointly by the Corning Glass
Works of Corning. NJ Y, and the Dow
Corning Corp. Of Midland, Mich. Several
hundred materials of various types have
been prepared and several already are ia
large-scale industrial production, although
they have been known only in the past few
years
OF particular Importance, it is stressed, il
silicone insulation, because of its resistance
to heat and moisture, Its assurance of de-
pendable service under overload conditions
and its greater safety from fire hazards.