The effect of desiccation upon the nutritive properties of egg-white. II

Abstract

IN a previous paper [Boas, 1927] it was shown that dried egg-white, when used as the sole source of protein in a diet for young rats, produces a train of characteristic symptoms-notably dermatitis, baldness and spastic gait- terminating in death in from 4 to 6 weeks. It was shown further that this syndrome can be completely prevented if certain substances such as yeast, potato, arrowroot, commercial caseinogen, fresh egg-white and others are added to the diet, and the presence of an unknown protective dietary factor X in these substances was postulated. The symptoms were produced only when the egg-white was dried in the undenatured state, but the results were the same whether dehydration was carried out by evaporation in air at 370, in vacuo in the presence of H2SO4 at room temperature, or by treatment with alcohol. The two following alternative hypotheses were advanced as possible explanations of the phenomena: