A STUDY OF THE ACTION OF ACID AND ALKALI ON GLUTEN

In this paper there are reported studies of the acid-base equilibrium in systems containing gluten suspended in solution of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. The studies have involved measurements of the hydrogen ion concentration, of the electrical conductivity, and of the solution of the proteins. Further, measurements have been made of the swelling and of the viscosity of the gluten component of such systems. The results seem to show that simple chemical phenomena are most important in such systems, and that the modifications of these, resulting from colloidal and heterogeneous characteristics, are of secondary importance in determining the condition of equilibrium, though somewhat more significant in the progress of the system toward the condition of equilibrium.