The Availability of the Carbohydrates and Fats of the Green Leaf Together with Some Observations on Crude Fiber

Abstract

Carbohydrates. A study of the activity of taka-diastase showed that an active maltase capable of converting maltose to glucose was present. This conversion can be accomplished if the concentration of the maltose in the substrate is not more than 0.25 gm. in 100 cc. of solution. Use of this fact was made in devising a method for determining the available carbohydrate of a food. Crude fiber. A comparison of the enzymatic procedure for determining the crude fiber of spinach with the so-called official method showed that the former gives results which are more than three times as large as those obtained by the present ‘official method.’ Fats. A method for estimating the true fat content of the ether-soluble fraction of a food material is presented. The application of this method to spinach showed that more than 55% of the material obtained by ether extraction and sometimes called ‘fat’ is indigestible.