The Distribution of Vitamin B1 in the Rice Grain

The realization of the importance of the cereal grains as a source of vitamin B, in human nutrition has led to a long-standing interest in the way in which the vitamin is distributed between the parts of the grain.This applies particularly to the rice grain in the preparation of which part is rejected, and perhaps more so to the wheat grain which is subjected to a well-developed milling technique, capable of selecting or rejecting fairly closely defined parts of the grain.The results of a detailed examination of the main component parts of the wheat grain, published recently,-have placed on a quantitative basis what was known in a general qualitative way for some time, that the distribution of vitamin B, is very far from equal (Hinton, 1947).The endosperm, which, in the sample of wheat examined, was 82.5 % of the grain weight, contained only 2.8 % of the total vitamin B,, whereas the scutellum, Plate