Hormel Institute fiiiiliinii's to Grow H. O. HALVORSON AND W A L T E R O. L U N D B E R G
1. HE Hormel Institute at Austin, Minn., is a research branch of the graduate school >f the University of Minnesota. It was established with the support of the Hormel foundation to conduct biological and v'hemical researches on a broad basis. Plans for expansion of the Hormel Institute have been completed and construction has begun on units which will add laboratory space, a new library, and a new general office to the present research facilities. The new laboratory facilities will be used largely for research projects in the fields of animal nutrition and veterinary medicine. All the laboratory facilities in Austin arc provided by the Hormel Foundation, which, in addition, currently supplies about one third of the operating funds. The remaining two thirds of the supporting funds are obtained through contracts with governmental agencies and through grants provided by other research foundations and industrial organizations. The institute is governed by a board of directors, whose present chairman is Theodore C. Blegen, dean of the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota. Other members of the board are C. 11. Bailey, dean and director of the College of Agriculture, University of Minnesota; r\ C. Mann, professor of experimental medicine, Mayo Foundation; Walter M. Lauer, professor of organic chemistry. University of Minnesota; and James Huntting of the board of trustees of the Hormel Foundation. In order to appreciate fully the nature of the Hormel Institute, it is necessary to realize that it is not simply affiliated with the university, but is an integral part of the graduate school. Its personnel are ail either academic or civil service employees of the university. During 1947 more than 30 people were engaged in institute activities in the Austin laboratories or on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul. At present the full-time staff at Austin uumbers 18. Some of the institute's staff member* participate in teaching activities on the university's main campus, and, in addition, graduate students conduct researches at the Austin laboratories under the guidance of academic staff members to meet requirements for advanced degrees. Two Hormel Institute fellowships have also been established at the university, each providing an annual stipend of $1,2C0. Although most of the work is centered in Austin, the institute also sponsors project* in various departments of the university, notably in the departments of agricultural biochemistry, bacteriology, and veterinary 1526
medicine and in the division of .soils. The over-all direction of the activities of the Hormel Institute is the responsibility of its executive director, H . O. Halvorson, who is professor of bacteriology and acting head of the department of bacteriology of the University of Minnesota. Assistance in the general direction of the institute and supervision of the activities in the Austin laboratories are the responsibilities of Walter O. Lundberg, resident director and professor of physiological chemistry. Subjects
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Research
During 1947, 16 research projects wore under way in the institute. A brief account of the nature of these researches follows. Soils. For several years the institute has sponsored projects in the division of soils of the College of Agriculture. This work has been under the direction of C. O. Host, head of the division of soils, and A. C. Caldwell, assistant professor of soils. Much practical information has been gained about the effects on the growth, yield, and quality of crops of various treatments of soils with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Fats and Oils. The projects in this field range from metabolism studies to the development of new industrial uses for fats and oils. One project is concerned with the absorption and excretion of fats in human subjects, with the purpose of obtaining fundamental information on physiological processes in the human gastrointestinal tract which may be applied in the fields of nutrition and medicine. This work is being carried on cooperatively with the Mayo Foundation. Another study in progress concerns the course and mechanism of the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acid esters by oxygen. A primary purpose of this project is to obtain basic information that will be of value in combating the problem of oxidative rancidity in edible fats, but, because of the fundamental approach, it is anExterior
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CHEMICAL
ticipated that the information may have much wider application. In a third study in this general field, pure fatty acid esters and alkyds are being prepared for use in a study of film-forming properties. In y e t another project, t h e institute is sponsoring a study under t h e direction of W. F . Geddcs, head of the department of agricultural biochemistry of the university, that is concerned with thv emulsifying and shortening properties of various triglycerides and mixtures of triglycerides in relation to their chemical composition. Bacteriology. The bacteriology division is conducting basic researches in thu physiology of bacteria. It is also engaged in three projects that fall in the field of food technology. In one of these, efforts have been directed toward finding methods to prevent the spoilage of canned bacon during storage. This project is now Hearing successful completion. A second project consists of fundamental studies of the bacteriological and enzymatic changes that occur in frozen foods during freezing processes and during storage. A third investigation deals with problems of bacterial contamination in soybean flour. Animal Nutrition. A long term study in this field is concerned with the general nutritional requirements of hogs. In a >tudy of shorter duration t h e role of specific nace elements, such as copper, and their requirements in the diet of sheep and hogs are being investigated. I t has been found that a substantial increase in the growth • ate of young hogs can be achieved b y adding traces of copper t o standard rations. Swine diseases are also being intensively studied. Other Activities in 1947. During 1947 several projects were completed, including an investigation of factors involved in t h e dermal toxicity of detergent compounds and a study of the solubilities of various antioxidants in edible fats and oils. In addition t o a number of publications in technical and trade journals by its staff members, the institute published its third annual report, a 48-page r6sume of its research activities for the academic year 1946-47, and a bulletin entitled "A Survey of Present Knowledge, Researches, and Practices in the United States Concerning the Stabilization of F a t s . " of the
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