Page:Foods and their adulteration; origin, manufacture, and composition of food products; description of common adulterations, food standards, and national food laws and regulations (IA foodstheiradulte02wile).pdf/269

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

In the dry substance:

Protein, 16.77 percent
Ether extract, 8.08 "
Crude fiber, 1.38 "
Ash, 1.94 "
Starch and sugar, 73.20 "
Calories, 4,875

It is evident from the above average analysis that the products examined are made from the whole kernel without the removal of the germ but with a very careful removal of the hull and bran. The composition of these products compares very favorably with the typical composition of the kernel itself. These data show the high nutritive value of these oat products, both in respect of fat and protein.

Fig. 29.—Oat Starch. × 200.—(Courtesy of Bureau of Chemistry.)

Adulterations.—There are very few adulterations of oatmeal. Fortunately the price of this cereal is such that the admixture of other cereals would not be profitable. Doubtless such admixtures have often been made but evidently, from the examination of the products upon the open market, they are not very frequent. The characteristic appearance of oat starch is shown in Fig. 29.

Oat starch grains average about 10 microns in diameter. There are usually present some grains of somewhat oval shape, which assist in identi-