HARRIES et a1.-STUDIES I N BEEF QUALITY. I 50 1experiments where skimmed milk was used for the challenging injections, the reactions were probably due mainly to the antigenicity of the fractions, because skimmed milk does not normally produce an anaphylactoid reaction. The results for hydrolysates A,-A, show that the F, fractions were antigenic and that they cross-reacted with milk proteins. The antigenicity of the corresponding R, fraction was not apparent from the results obtained when R, fractions were used as the challenging material. Although the foam breaking time of the R, fractions of hydrolysate A, as prepared by the use of water was much less than of the same hydrolysate as prepared with saline, both materials showed about the same tendency to cross-react with milk proteins. It is likely, therefore, that the antigenicity of the hydrolysates is due to the presence therein of iinhydrolysed milk proteins or protein fragments capable of cross-reacting with milk proteins. Preliminary electrophoretic tests showed that two constituents of this material have a mobility similar to those of u-and y-casein, but the more precise identification of these requires much further work.A description is given of the arrangement of a tasting panel for assessing the various properties of roast and stewed beef, and of the standardisation of the cooking procedure etc. Some results are given to illustrate the effects of some of the variables.

The eating quality of meat from two groups of animals treated with hexoestrol has been compared with that of meat from appropriate untreated animals. In one group, of low‐grade animals, a favourable influence of treatment on flavour and tenderness of roast rib muscle was found, although an opposite effect was found in stewed neck muscle from the same animals. In a second group, of better grade, there were no significant differences in the eating quality of roast ribs from treated and untreated animals. In the group of high grade there was less intramuscular fat in the treated animals. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed.

Rib‐joints from Hereford‐Friesian steers from five selected Hereford bulls have been compared by taste panel and laboratory analysis. The steers were raised at two farms. Significant differences were found between sire groups in tenderness, flavour and juiciness. There was also a farm influence on tenderness. Two sire groups were identified as receiving higher valuations for flavour, juiciness and tenderness than one of the other three sire groups. The preferred groups were from the smallest sires and had more marbling fat at the preselected arbitrary slaughter weight. The quality difference due to farms was not associated with marbling fat. Rate of growth was slower on the farm yielding the more tender meat. The iodine values for fat samples showed statistically significant differences between some sire groups, but not between the two farms.

The initial quality of eggs from pullets and hens of the same strain under intensive and extensive systems of management have been studied over a twelve-month period. Candling quality, percentage thick white, yolk index, the occurrence of meat and blood spots, and yolk and shell colours were recorded. The eggs were also examined by visual comparison with graded picture charts. The system of management had little effect on the quality of the eggs except that access to range resulted in slightly darker yolks, and in slightly improved appearance of the albumen during the winter months. Changes of quality due t o the maturing of pullets were small compared wlth the effects of season. Different measures of quality were differently affected by season.

Raw potato starch and some modified starches cause caecal enlargement when fed to rats as the sole carbohydrate source in synthetic diets containing 18-20 % It has been argued that caecal enlargement is a process of physiological adaptation controlled by osmotic processes.2, However, in the authors' laboratory, deaths occurred among rats fed a diet containing Toxicol. 1974,12,651. 3 . Leegwater, D. C.; de Groot, A. P.; van Kalmthout-Kuyper, M.Extracts of the yeast, Candida tropicah grown on tetradecane, contain a cytochrome P-4.50 (much like the well-known drug-metabolising enzyme of liver) that can hydroxylate fatty acids such as lauric acid and demethylate drugs such as aminopyrine.'s2 Growth conditions have been described in Brewer's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (NCYC NO. 240) for cytochrome P-450 bios~nthesis.~ Yeast grown for 17-40 h in 1 % glucose or 20-70 h in 20% glucose (whole, Heat-Stable Yeast Invertase