The Toxicity of Flours Treated with Various “Improving” Agents

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Abstract
Bread made from agene-treated flour produces fright fits in dogs. Oxides of nitrogen, benzoyl peroxide-, chlorine-, chlorine dioxide- and bromate-treated flours are harmless to dogs when fed for 6 weeks. The ED 50 of gluten “saturation-treated” with NCl3 is approximately 3.5 gm/kg. The reaction product of NCl3 and either tyrosine, tryptophane, cystine, cysteine or methionine is not responsible for the production of fright fits. Rabbits are of the same order of sensitivity to agenetreated gluten as dogs and present attractive possibilities for use as assay animals. Cats are also sensitive but less so, while rats and Rhesus monkeys are apparently resistant insofar as the production of gross symptoms is concerned.