Show what army eats chow nowadays GI meals must be tasty and Nour ishm quartermaster corps tests insure purity and palatability by AL JEDLICKA released by western newspaper union wherever johnny doughboy may be fighting today hes eating his fill of good nutritional food whether its in the south pacific europe or the mediterranean hes finding his fare able and strengthening maybe not quite like mas home cooking but just what a fighting man needs to make him fight hard if johnny doughboy is is eating well its no accident rather it is the result of careful scientific study of the quartermaster corps subsistence research and development laboratory in chicago which is chiefly contributing to the ardys conquest of food problems arising from different climatic and storage conditions throughout the world there was a time when the army so exacting about food when fares were plain and repetitious no farther back than world war I 1 vets lost much of their enthusiasm for corned beef and salmon because of their constant serving but thanks to the sympathetic understanding of col W A point who appreciated the value of a nutritional as well as a tasty fare for troops the army instituted a subsistence school in 1920 which spawned the research laboratory in 1936 when the laboratory was opened that year there were no indications that the U S would find itself in a worldwide world wide struggle five years later fighting in jungles mountains deserts and snowy steppes but when that day did come the laboratory E A MAJOR on the quartermaster corps laboratory staff places various foods such as navy beans bacon raisins plum jam and butter in a special testing box that can simulate either arctic cold or tropic heat was ready to undertake the vast task of adjusting the american soldiers food to the different embattled regions no less than 31 army officers and 61 civilians are at work in the research laboratory chemists bacate biologists and vitamin experts working in approximately a half dozen different fields col rohland A isker in addition there are an experimental kitchen for testing preparations and a dining room where help is served new food and asked to comment on its palatability in the absence of colonel isker who was on a mission in europe dr jesse H white was in charge of the laboratory and it was he who escorted this western newspaper union correspondent through the premises A retired army colonel who returned to duty at the research laboratory without assuming his old military rank when the wars pressing events forced a need for trained men dr white has been associated with the quartermaster corps since 1907 and always in the forefront of the drive for progressive procedure originally a meat inspector for the navy dr white first undertook the study of canned fruits vegetables and other items for the army and participated in colonel points special subsistence schools boneless beef sr although dr white has been in on the whole gradual development of the ardys scientific food program meat still remains his first interest and to him must go the credit for the acceptance of boneless beef it was only after dr whites insistence si that the army experimented with boneless beef during the maneuvers of 1936 eliminating the poor and expensive cuts and wastes in the carcass in 1940 the army went still further with boneless beef V 0 MV J 1 4 va V V VARIOUS chemical and physical tests of food samples are conducted constantly in the quartermaster corps laboratories to determine t their heir stability under differing climatic conditions and other influences that would aff affect act their wholesomeness so under dr whites leadership utilizing the entire carcass for roasts stews and sausages though the conservation of space was a factor then it did not assume the tremendous importance it did with the outbreak of world war II 11 when the long supply lines imposed a severe strain on our transport system As a result of dr whites sharpness the army achieved additional conservation of space through his suggestion for cutting pork loins in two and fitting one end in the slope of the other thus forming a single package of half the former size As a fruition of the effort to provide a variety of food to troops three times as many meat items have been developed under the direction of the research laboratory than existed during the last war before the war packers professed difficulty canning pork luncheon meat in large containers but careful research overcame the problem formerly the lard in pork sausage had oozed from the meat and collected around the walls of the can but this was also corrected heading off the inevitability of complaints from a continuous serving of vienna sausages a coarsely ground finely spiced frankfurter was developed for variety with the extension of the fighting to the tropical climates pre preservation serva of fats and oils have presented a difficult problem but under the direction of the research laboratory remedies have been developed army spread most noteworthy of these developments perhaps is the so called army spread a combination of butter cheese curd and milk powder it was produced following a search for a palatable fat to replace the old carter spread composed of butter and hydrogenated cottonseed flakes which tasted and stuck to the roof of the mouth although army spread has filled the bill for an appetizing fat it is of no use as a shortening or in frying due to scientific methods in the preservation of lard and other short edings troops afield now profit from the availability of high caloric biscuits the celebrated hardtack of old was nothing more than flour water and salt since no stable shortening had been discovered but through the use of antioxidants fats and notably lard have been so treat they stay and usable from six to nine months working in conjunction with processors the dairy products section of the research laboratory under robert J has developed an evaporated milk with a concentration of 31 surpassing the old figure of 21 of value to the army in the economy of space the new product should prove of equal advantage to women shoppers in the postwar world advancements also have been made in the production of dehydrated cheese previously sold primarily to bakers for fillers spraying etc the cheese retains its essential flavor lieutenant Rem aleys department also has been active in the preparation of vanilla ice cream mixes shipped in the form of dried powder to the various fronts where fl fruits s or other flavoring agents may be added sea water for baking technologists in the research lab ora torys baking department are engaged in various experiments on cereals and other components of breadstuffs bread stuffs one experiment concerned the use of sea or ocean water in the production of bread since there are many military baking installations stal lations in the various war theaters where fresh water is limited after careful experimentation with ocean water provided from the coun arys eastern and western coasts it was discovered that the variation in salt content of ocean water was not sufficient to require any change in the regular army bread form formula ula other than the omission of salt prior to the experimentation however the ocean water was treated with calcium on the basis of 05 grams to 31 gallons of the water against possible content of algae sea weed etc proceeding on the principle that flour is the most important and the one indispensable ingredient to the production of baked products the quartermaster corps tests samples from each car offered before acceptance cep tance made from either hard spring or winter wheat the flour must produce bread with good volume grain and texture creamy white crumb color and pleasing flavor and taste according to technologist paul V holton containing about 12 per cent protein and one half per cent minerals or ash the army flour is enriched with thiamin vitamin bl riboflavin vitamin niacin and iron t one of the outstay outstanding riding developments was the production of a granular dehydrated yeast for use overseas because it will keep well for a year if under refrigeration of 40 50 degrees F and show no appreciable loss in baking strength it if stored at 70 degrees or below for six months if kept at higher temperatures however the yeast quickly loses its quality other factors favoring granular dehydrated yeast which is manufactured in pellets and packed in two pound size moisture proof cans are its quick action during baking and its greater leavening power per unit of weight canned rations to meet the needs of our soldiers under the varying conditions of war rations have been developed for instance when establishing a beachhead there is no time for the preparation of a meal the K ration which may be eaten cold is designed for such an exigency the C ration is intended for later use when the beachhead is estable established hed and the tension is not quite so great the C ration which may be eaten cold but may be made more palatable by heating the canned components requires a minimum of preparation for scout troops or just back of the the 10 in I l ration is preferable the D ration a high calorie chocolate bar is carri carried ed by the soldier to be used only in an emergency each of these rations has been developed only after the most careful research they must be nutritionally adequate of excellent keeping quality at least six months under varying conditions of climate easy to carry and palatable one of the research labora torys biggest tasks was in the improvisation of packing to suit the various climatic conditions encountered in early south pacific fighting many different types of packages deteriorated on the tropical beaches under the elements of rain and heat through careful research however various protective coatings and waterproofing materials such as waxes were developed not only to tc guard against exposure on the beaches but also to enable many ol oi the packages to be floated ashore tc facilitate unloading operations the laboratory has a cooperative project called the guinea pig club of which every employee as well as every officer in the a A THE FOOD on maj W E harp ers plate is equivalent in bulk t the condensed K ration which ii contained in the little pac package kaget spread on the table member at midmorning oi 01 samples of propos proposed ec ration items are served the taster are instructed in the case of tw items to choose the one which thea prefer it if only one item is dundei test the taster is requested to tel whether he likes the item or not anc why figures are tabulated statis ti cally and the popularity of an may thus scientifically be obtained obtained |