Broth

BROTH (from the French word bouillon meaning broth), formerly denoted exclusively a broth made from meat in water; at present, the term B. is understood to mean any kind of broth made in water. Broths are distinguished as: 1) meat, 2) fish, 3) greens and vegetables, and 4) specifically therapeutic.- To obtain strong broths, it is necessary to place the products in cold, unsalted (preferably soft boiled) water and slowly bring to a boil; cook for 4-5 hours; the strength of the broth, besides the quantity of products, depends on the duration of cooking. It is better to cook broth in hermetically sealed vessels. To obtain weak broths, products are placed in salted boiling water. Weak broths can be cooked from bones alone or from bones, tendons, and membranes; bones are finely chopped and placed in a muslin bag.-1. Broth from meat has been the subject of research by a number of scientists from the middle of the 19th century to the present (Chevrel, Lefevre, Liebig, Konig, Pavlovsky, Kanshin, etc.); the research concerns the chemical composition and nutritional value. According to Grainger, lean meat loses during cooking in broth 1.84% nitrogenous substances, 0.64% fat, and 0.51% salts; fatty meat, however, loses 0.88% nitrogenous substances, 1.52% fat, 0.24% salts. About 10% of the nitrogenous substances passing into the broth from meat consist of albumins, which coagulate in hot water and form scum on the surface of the broth. Besides fat, the quantity of which depends on the type of meat, broth contains a small amount of lactic acid and acid phosphates, which give the broth an acidic reaction. From connective tissue, meat, and bones, collagen (gelatin) is boiled out into the broth, and meat and bones of young animals give especially large quantities of gelatin; the latter increases the nutritional value of the broth. Of the extractive substances in meat broth, creatine is contained in the largest amount, as well as creatinine and sarcine; in addition, meat broth contains xanthine, hypoxanthine, a small amount of amino acids, albumoses and peptones, carnosine, phosphoric acid, etc. (Durig). The amount of meat needed to prepare 1 liter of meat broth is, on average, 500 g, counting 25% bones (for strong broth - chopped, for weak broth - meat in pieces). To improve the taste, vegetables are added to the broth, which are traditionally called a "bouquet," in the amount of 100-125 g per liter. The nutritional value of meat broth is very insignificant: 100 g contains 1.24 g protein, 0.35 g fat, 0.41 g salts, which gives 8 calories (N. Lable); however, meat broth has great importance for the nutrition of patients; it causes a sharp secretion of gastric juice (according to Pavlov's research), stimulates appetite and increases the digestibility of plant fiber; in addition, meat broth is a tonic agent, stimulating the central nervous system and the cardiovascular apparatus. The prescription of meat broth is indicated in cases of decreased secretory function of the stomach, loss of appetite, to raise the general tone of the body, especially in febrile patients. Meat broth is contraindicated in any increased secretion of gastric juice, in ulcers, in kidney and urinary tract diseases where the introduction of extractive substances is contraindicated, in gout and uric acid diathesis, in some liver diseases, in pronounced arteriosclerosis, in putrefactive processes in the intestines, and in diseases accompanied by severe excitation of the nervous system. 2. Broth from fish (Russian ukhá) is used in other countries only "for sauces; in some localities of the USSR, ukhá is a common dish, very accessible due to its cheapness. It is prepared mostly from small fish (perch, ruffe, roach, small burbot, etc.), sometimes from bones, tails, heads, and skin of large fish. The preparation of ukhá requires significantly less time than cooking meat broth (no more than 30 min.); ukhá differs from meat broth by its much greater content of gelatin, due to which it easily solidifies and turns into jelly. Ukhá causes an even sharper secretion of gastric juice than meat broth (Boldyrev), and in its composition it closely approaches meat broth; indications and contraindications are the same as for meat broth; in intestinal diseases, it is better tolerated than meat broth. 3. Broth from vegetables and greens contains, in general, 0.2-0.3% protein compounds and approximately the same amount of carbohydrates; the quantity and quality of the mineral salts of the broth depend on the quantity and quality of vegetables and greens. Due to the importance now attached to the introduction of mineral salts and vitamins into the body, broth from greens has acquired special importance. The method of its preparation is basically similar to the preparation of meat broth. The outer parts of vegetables are the most valuable, therefore they should be thoroughly cleaned with a brush in water, not with a knife. Broths from vegetables are indicated in children's nutrition, particularly in all kinds of gastrointestinal disorders, as well as in all those cases where meat broths are prohibited. However, with an increase in the acidity of gastric contents, strong broths from vegetables, which, like strong meat broths, have a sharp juice-stimulating effect, are contraindicated (Boldyrev, Leporsky). 4. Specifically therapeutic broths are prepared from meat broth and vegetable broth by adding special nutritious substances (artificial protein preparations, egg yolks, meat powder, finely chopped semi-raw liver, raw meat, etc., depending on the particular indication). For severely ill patients, as well as with severe irritation of the esophagus or stomach, broth from meat or fish or vegetables can be given in a gelatinized form (solidified strong broth or broth with added gelatin). Specifically therapeutic broth is the so-called beef-tea: 250 g of scraped meat are mixed with four tablespoons of cold water in a wide-mouthed bottle, sealed with a cork or tied with parchment, and heated in a water bath for 2 hours. The bottle is wrapped in a cloth. Beef-tea is added by spoonfuls to other food (milk, porridge, etc.). In the same way, "bottled" broth is prepared, with 300 g of finely chopped meat placed in a bottle of water. Beef-tea and "bottled" broth are usually prescribed to very weak patients to raise the general tone.

M. Pevzner.

Broth in children's nutrition. As indicated above, the nutritional value (caloric content) of broth is negligible, and its importance lies in the salts and extractive substances. The importance of salts for the growing organism is clear; extractive substances, however, serve as a means of stimulating gastric secretion. At present, however, the necessity of including broth in the dietetics of a healthy child is rightly disputed, first, because the introduction of a sufficient amount of vegetables, also rich in salts, makes broth superfluous, and second, a proper regimen with a certain alternation of feedings is in itself an excellent physiological irritant of appetite, and consequently, a stimulant of sufficient secretion of gastric juice; on the other hand, the introduction of broth and soups, especially in large quantities (150-300 g), unnecessarily stretching the stomach, causes pseudo-satiety. The prescription of broth therefore makes sense only in certain pathological conditions, such as: 1) in persistent constipation in the second half of the first year of life - the gelatin, extractive substances and salts of the broth have a laxative effect; 2) the abundant introduction of phosphoric salts of broth is indicated in rickets; 3) persistent anorexia in children over a year old, regardless of its cause (neuropathy, febrile conditions), improves when given small doses of broth (25-50 g in small children and 50-100 g in older children); 4) when it is necessary to limit the amount of milk (e.g., in tetany), broth is a means of enriching food with carbohydrates (in the form of flour soups). As an appetite-stimulating agent in diarrhea, broth needs the mandatory addition of carbohydrates (flour-mucilage soups).-A contraindication for the prescription of broth are pastose-exudative conditions in children with their characteristic hydro-lability. The stronger the broth, the less it should be introduced. In infancy, a broth with 25% strength is preferable.-Method of preparation: 50 g of finely chopped lean meat without bones and fat is poured over with 300-400 g of cold water and boiled for 1¹/2-2 hours; the excessively evaporated amount is made up with boiling water to 200 g. It is necessary to take cold water, because when placed in boiling water, a layer of coagulated protein forms on the surface of the meat, preventing the leaching out of salts and extractive substances. The type of meat in the preparation of broth has no special significance; white meat is richer in collagen fibers, and therefore broth from it has a greater laxative effect.