Moisture content, adjustment, protein

The instant breakfast product (Carnation Company, Waverly, Iowa) was prepared for browning by simply adjusting the moisture content to 9%. All samples were browned by storage at 37 C in a sealed glass chamber. The humidity was maintained at 68% by placing a small beaker of 40% sulfuric acid in the chamber. After storage for 40 days, the samples were freeze-dried and milled for incorporation into the diets. Control samples for all proteins were prepared identically to the browned samples, but immediately freeze-dried rather than stored. 

The Atwater procedure, in brief, was to adjust the heats of combustion (gross calories) of the fat, protein, and carbohydrate in a food to allow for the losses in digestion and metabolism found for human subjects, and to apply the adjusted caloric factors to the amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in the food. The contents of protein and fat were determined by chemical analysis, and the percentage of carbohydrate was obtained by difference that is, it was taken as the remainder after the sum of the fat, protein, ash, and moisture had been deducted from 100. This so-called total carbohydrate, therefore, included fiber (an all-inclusive term for carbohydrates that are not digested by people) as well as any noncarbohydrate residue present... 

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