291. Digestibility

As the processes of manufacture have not rendered these preparations greatly unlike the cereal grains in which they have their source, except in some of them to dextrinize part of the starch, we must look to their digestibility for any increased nutritive efficiency which they may possess. The most reliable figures available do not show that breakfast foods differ essentially in digestibility from cereal flours and meals, and certain home-made preparations.. The figures given in Table LVI, as well as those in the two previous tables are largely the result of work done at the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, with others quoted by Atwater.

1 Maine Agric. Ezp. Station, Bui. 118, p. 121.

Table LV. Relative Percentages Of Starch And Dextrin In Certain Cereal Breakfast Foods

TABLE LV

Relative Percentages of Starch and Dextrin in Certain

Cereal Breakfast Foods1

Starch

Dextrin

Extent of Dextrinization

Per Cent

Per Cent

Per Cent

Corn meal

69.5

Oat meal

63.8

Bolled oats

60.5

3.6

5.6

Ralston breakfast food .

67.9

2.6

3.7

Malt breakfast food. .

71.7

3.2

4.3

Malta vita

62.4

9.3

13.0

Force

55.4

14.5

20.7

Grape Nuts

49.5

24.9

33.5

Table LVI. Comparative Digestibility of Cereal Foods

TABLE LVI

Comparative Digestibility of Cereal Foods

Dry Matter

Total Organic Matter

Protein

Carbohydrates

Fats

Available Energy

Per Ct.

Per Ct.

PerC.

Per Ct.

PerCt.

PerCt.

Rolled oats (simple diet) . .

95.4

84.7

94.2

Rolled wheat (simple diet)

95.2

91.6

94.6

Force (simple diet) ....

94.6

89,6

91.1

Grape nuts (simple diet) . .

94.0

87.6

93.1

Shredded whole wheat (simple diet)........

92.8

84.1

91.4

Hecker's hominy (simple diet)

97.3

83.6

96.4

Granulated corn meal (simple diet)........

97.2

82.3

95.9

Hulled corn (eaten alone) . .

81.7

97.3

91.8

Wheat bread (eaten alone)

93.9

99.1

97.3

Johnny cake (simple diet). .

93.2

98.9

93.5

Brown bread (simple diet)

92.8

98.6

93.4

1 Maine Agric. Exp. Station, Bui. 118, p. 126.

The digestibility of breakfast foods is proved to be in no respect superior to that of granulated corn meal, johnny cake, brown bread, or white bread.

292. Unwarranted Claims

It is clear that the claims made for certain breakfast foods, such as the nourishing of more persons for a given time than other foods do, "the most natural food for mankind," "the great brain and muscle food," "a condensed food," "the system will absorb a greater amount of nourishment from one pound of than from ten pounds of meat, wheat, oats or bread," are false, and the manufacturers making these claims either intend to deceive the public or are grossly ignorant of the real nutritive value of their products. The fact is, it is not possible so to transform the nutrients in meats and cereal grains as materially to enhance their nutritive efficiency, nor can such foods be "condensed," excepting as water is dried out. Cooking and malting may increase the ease and rapidity of digestion, but for persons normal in health and function there is nothing in the processes applied to breakfast foods superior in any respect to home cooking.