Betty Sullivan h a id cil Osborne Medal by Cereal Chemists A STAFF REPORT

A N recognition of lier distinguished con­tributions to cereal chemistry, Betty :Sull i-van of the Russell-M il 1er Milling Co. was awarded the Thomas Burr Osborne Medal by the American Association o f Ce­real Chemists at. their thirty-third amma=d meeting in Cincinnati, May 23 to 28.

The first woman to receive the nieda.1, Dr. Sullivan, former head chemist aitd now vice president, of her company, i s ihio seventh recipient of the honor since i t s ori­gin in 1928. An active research worker i n chemistry related to grains, Hour, and balk­ing technology, she has published exten­sively; the major fields to which she hsxsdo voted attention include moisture determin­ation in wheat ami flour; inorganic con­stituents, lipids, and glutathione in wheat and flour; enzymes and yeasts; a n d the oxidation and reduction of flour.

t'lt>ur Oxidation^Reduction

i n her medal address, Dr. Sullivan dis­cussed the oxidation and reduction o f Hour. Pointing out that certain agents, particularly bromates, iodates, persu.1-fates, nitrogen trichloride, chlorites, chlo­rine, and chlorine dioxide improve ifcic baking qualities of flour, whereas certain reducing agents such as sulfhydryl com­pounds, sulfites, and cyanides produce poor baking results, she examined the po>ssil>le explanations. Starches and lipids were eliminated as the causative compounds o n the basis of scientific evidence. Certain proteins were considered to offer t h e pos­sible explanation as put forth on the basis of chemical structure and reactions, the sulfur-containing groups in the peptide structures being the points of attack.

I n considering the sulfhydryl groups, Dr. Sullivan stated that a negative nitro-prusside test was not satisfactory proof of the absence of these linkages, as they often exist in a masked state. The beneficial effect of. oxidizing and alkylating agents such as o-iodobenzoic acid, iodoacetic acid, and iodoacetamide were cited as evidence for the existence of sulfhydryl groups in flour, along with other substan­tiating results including the finding of glutathione in wheat germ. The presence of cystine in flour showed the presence of disulfide groups. Kxperimental evidence was shown to justify the conclusion that reducing agents attack this disulfide group. Some of these groups, stated Dr. Sullivan, may form cross-linkages between the* peptide chains, and this concept makes clearer the physical effects observed on reduction.

I t may be that the sulfhydryl group is present in an enzyme, said Dr. Sullivan, but it has not yet been isolated and proved effective. Efforts toward the isolation of the sulfhydryl group are continuing, she said, and this achievement will be neces­sary to explain the mechanism of oxidation and the beneficial effects of aging and treating flour with mat tiring agents.

iS'itrogen Trichh>ride

In a round table devoted to the effect of maturing agents on the baking perform­ance of flour nitrogen chloride, used under the name Agene, was the main topic of discussion. Developments since the dis­covery by Mellanby that flour thus treated produced fits in dogs were reviewed. Cor­don Newell , University of Wisconsin, re­

ported that in the work being carried out by Dr . Elvehjem's group a t Wisconsin there had not been found evidence that human beings are affected by Agene-treated flour.

It was reported that the Miller's Na­tional Federation has decided to recom­mend to t i ie Federal Security Administra­tion a t the next flour hearing that nitro­gen trichloride be eliminated from the flour standards. It is also to be suggested that chlorine dioxide is to be recommended for adoption as a maturing agent.

Research on phytic acid in Denmark was discussed by Karl Lorenzen, Coopera­tives Bakeries, Copenhagen, in a paper read by Gordon Newell. It was pointed out that t h e rachitogenie effect of cereals is associated with their phytic acid eon-tent, this being explained by the fact t hat phytic acid forms a stable complex with phosphorus. Many seeds do not contain phytase, the phytic acid-destroying en­zyme and as a result their phosphorus is not made available in metabolism. Fur­thermore, it binds calcium to some extent in the same way. Dr. I^orenzen's paper discussed a method used to combat this problem in Denmark, where a special aeid-forming culture is added to the leaven of bread to activate phytase. Calcium salts are also added in some cases to improve the calcium balance.

Howard Schneider, Rockefeller Insti­tute for Medical Research, reported that whole wheat has been found to contain a factor, distinct from known nutrients, which is capable of increasing survivorship following infection. This factor is concen­trated in the wheat einbrvo.

W. I'\ Geddes, University <jj JV/irtreesoJa, editor of Cereal C h e m i s t r y ; Paul Loguw9 Monsanto Chemical Co. , and past presitient of --ÎACC; Frank C. tlilde-brand, General Mills, / H P . , nrul president-elect of

A.ICC: R. \1. Sandstedl, University o>f /Ve6r*j.*lt<z, retiring presitient of .1 ICC9 with Hetty Sullivan* Russell-Miller Milling Co . , /ta si president oj AACC and recipient, of the Thom&s llurr Osbtime award

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