Evening star., 1950-04-12
New Chemical Is Used
To Treot All U. S. Flour
Britain Reports IsoIotion OF
Poison Under Old Method
By Thomos R. Henry


A new chemical agent has Just been
adopted for processing all American
-four.
1t replaces nitrogen trichloride which.
until few months ago, was used almost
universally. This week came an an
nouncement from England that q viru-
tent poison. to dogs and ferrets. had been
isolated from -four treated with this par
ticular chemical.
The new American chemical is chlor-
inc dioXide. The treatment process was
developed titer long research both by
Food and Drug Administration chemists
and in other laboratories all over the
country.
Some chemical treatment is necessary
to hasten the processing Of -four until
1t is suitable for baking It hastens
changes which otherwise would require
storage for year or more at the same
time whitening the product.
A few years ago Sir Edward Mellanby
Of the British National Institute for Food
Research published the alarming dis
covery that when dogs were fed on bread
made from the processed -four they
developed something similar to epileptic
fits. The same phenomenon had been
observed in this country. 1t was not
caused by untreated -four.
Substance Isolated.
Ever since, chemists all over the world
have been trying to isolate the specific
poison involved. Sir Edward Mellanbv
has Just announced that he finally has
obtained the substance in pure crystal.
line form and that when fed to ferrets il
Is approximately $4,000 times as toxic
as the flour alone.
That is. it apparently occurs in nitro
gen-trichloride treated -four in q ratio
of one part to $4,000 parts. 1t has been
tentatively identified as aminobutyric
acid, supposedly formed by reactions be-
tween the chemical and something In
the -four itself.
No certain effects Of this chemical or
human beings have been found. APP
parently it would be necessary to eat az
exceptionally large amount OF whit
bread to produce the extreme effec,
noted in dogs. Still there was a gool
deal OF alarm and certainly regular eat
ing OF even minute amounts Of demon
strated poison did nobody any good
Mellanby found that as little as three
thousandths Of gram Of aminobutyrc
acid isolated from the treated flour was
sufficient to cause fltS in ferrets and that
when this amount was fed each day for
ten days it killed the animals.
1t was not easy, Food and Drug Ad-
miniStratlon chemists say, to find salts
factory substitute and the chemical pro-
cesSing was a practical necessity for the
flour industry.
Waterproof cotton-cloth which will
shed rain for long time--has been pro-
duced by Agriculture Department chem
lists.
1t depends on using a considerable pro-
portion of immature cotton f1bers COM
bined with various chemical treatments.
The process has been developed to the
point of industrial application at the
Departments Southern Research Lab
oratory.
Ninety per cent Of cotton fibers. 1t is
explained, are composed Of celluloSe, one
of whose outstanding properties Is to
swell when wet. This swelling tends to
close UP spaces between the threads in
cotton fabrics and prevent water from
getting through.
Immature Fibers Used.
The trouble has been that the swelling
is too little and the spaces too large
Some years ago 1t was found that great
deal could be accomplished by close weav-
ing-altogether too expensive q process
to be applied to ordinary fabrics. 1t was
good for specialized uses, such as essen
TALLY water-reSistant fire hose.
The new finding is that immature
fibers swell more than mature ones.
Cotton picked before it is entirely ripe
is a prime essential. Threads from such
cotton also can be woven tighter by ordi-
nary processes.
The laboratory also has developed
loom which permits 25 to 80 per cent
denser weaves than conventional ma
chimes. The process is expected to be
of special significance to the Army in
the manufacture of tenting material and
tarpaulins.