germ
is purposely left out therefrom. A supposition is advanced that the oil
which is contained so abundantly in the germ is apt to become rancid,
and to spoil the flour ; also that at the same time the soluble
proteids which are present in the germ, being apt to act upon the
starch of the flour, serve to convert part thereof into soluble
dextrin, and sugar ; these darkening the colour of the bread in the
oven. But this plausible conjecture is really not tenable. Rancid,
bread in the good old home-baking days was a thing unknown; indeed, the
said household bread, of appetisingly brownish hue, with its sweet,
nutty flavour, would remain quite excellent for eating, a full
fortnight, or longer, after its baking. Far more likely is it that the
said dark colour of such bread (offending the dainty folk of these
Sybarite times) is due to the salutary " carbonising " which we have
described.
Moreover,
the positive fact should be borne in mind that this carbonising
materially increases the easy digestibility of the loaf. An important
increment of mineral food-salts, over and above what white bread is
able to afford, is at the same time secured. Regarding this whole
subject (which is assuredly of vital importance) The Lancet, in
a comparatively recent article on " The Purity of Bread," has taught
uncompromisingly what a much better " staff of life " is the
old-fashioned loaf, made from stone-crushed flour, than the modern
unnatural snow-white bread, with this quality of deceptive whiteness :
as much due to chemicals as to the steam-roller-milling process. "The
latest device for producing such absurdly white bread as the pampered
taste of to-day likes to procure, is that of bleaching the flour by
means of ozone, and nitrous acid. Can
