Salt Mixtures for Purified-Type Diets

Purified diets containing glucose and protein developed a brown discoloration during storage when Chick Salts A was present. The browning reaction also occurred in a mixture of glycine, glucose, and Salts A. The effect of the ingredients of the salt mixture in this simplified system was studied and K2HPO4 was found to be by far the most active salt in the promotion of this reaction. Increases in moisture and in storage temperature of experimental mixes markedly increased the amount of browning that occurred in a given period of time. Salt mixes such as Wesson and Hubbell, Mendel and Wakeman, which contained no K2HPO4, had no effect on the browning reaction under ordinary conditions of diet mixing and storage.