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1.
BALANG
104
FRRANDLE.
This suggestion may at first sight appear preposter÷YU B but I have given it considerable thought over a period of years and believe that it is worthy of critical examination.
In that most interesting period prior to the war, as Scientific adviser to the Food Controller in "ong ona, 1 co-operated in the establishment and maintenance of a balanced food reserve sufficient for a population of 1,800,000 for a period of 100 da, 8.
I had the opportunit, of seeing paw food in bulk and advising as to its storage and disposal, of seeing food processing on a large meals and of experimenting on a large scale with prɔcessed foods. I realised the complete lack of scientific knowledge in the storage of foods, the matage of foods and of by-producte due to 1,norance and the complete absence of knowledge of what foods should be eaten in order to have a balanced diet. In order to maintain the colossal reserves necessary for the stipulated 100 days siege period pools were established for vegetable oils and besas (also for rice). All imported foods these categories vers put into the pool and old stock released on to the market. As the suolesale price was steadily rising theressa no loss in metary value but the loss in food value
lɔse by depletion and deterioration due to insect damage, etc., was considera:le.
m
Our regular inspection of peanut oil factories showed that most were 11thy and all were equipped with antiquated hand manipulated wedge pre SDO 8. The expressed af2 had a ready loenl merket, the better quality oil being exported to Canada and fetching a good price. The peanut residue was pressed into cakes and sold as fertiliser to farmers and gardenerɛ. I proposed that fresh peanut meal from the two cleaneat oil factories should he experimented with with a view to incorporating it in a biscuit. ith the read, and able assistance of Mr. Tom dgar, Master haker, series of trial biscuits were made and after about 30 trials a formula was perfected for a hard siege biscuit containing only 2. water. Nesides peanut meal there were used wholerheat flour, salt, qızar and baking powder. The bisquit project was accepted by Government and we started by making 2 tone a de, and sealing them in petrol tine and storing them as a siege reserve,
A plan for making 3 tons a day was not implemented due to hostilities Smoh biscuit weighed & ounce and cost i a cent: one bisquit a day had enough available iron for an adult, two enough nicotinic acid to prevent pellagra on a polished rice diet and 4 enough to prevent beriberi on such a diet. Experiments continued and setually the day before the war started a satisfactory biscuit was made containing sherk liver oil and ver, finely divided calcium carbɔnate. r. dgar also made biscuits of the onsistency of digestive and oatcake biscuits and incorporated the peanut mea ) in cakes and bread. Immense possibilities of peace t development of the use of peanut seal are likel, to be pract iesl The siege biscuit was thoroughly tried out at 5 hospitals including a maternity hospital (Professor Gordon King) and was uitermall, liked by all nationalities and by all ages from 6 months to over 60 years (Dr. Montgomery). A group of Beihaiwet police suffering from pellagra were cured by means of the biscuit (Commissioner of Police) and after the cure they were so pleased that they wished to buy them to form a part of their regular diet. Whilst the bakers were mixing and rolling out the biscuit dough I saw them chewing pieces of broken biscuit with evident satisfaction.
➡ of high nutritive value, oheap to make,
popular and profitable.
/3.
17
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