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Date: | Tue, 19 Jan 1999 22:22:48 -0800 |
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Jean-Louis, thanks for researching Vitamin E losses in roasted nuts. As
you say, the USDA numbers are "amazing" -- a little bit TOO AMAZING, alas.
They are, if you'll pardon my lapse into technical scientific terminology,
bullshit.
Are we to suppose that in 4 out of 6 cases the vitamin content, measured
after roasting, is EXACTLY the same ... right down to the fourth
significant digit? This means that, not once but FOUR TIMES, two
measurements came out identical WITHIN ONE PART IN TEN THOUSAND!
As a mathematician you may agree -- the odds against that are
(g)astronomical. In the real world, ANY two measurements would show some
deviation due to chance alone -- even if we simply measured two different
handfuls of the same raw nuts.
All the more so after roasting one handful. I'm betting all these roasted
nuts sustain losses much like peanuts (15%) or almonds (77%).
Maybe less, maybe more -- but not 0.00 percent!
It's my privilege to support the noble work of the USDA with my taxes; far
be it from me to impugn those dedicated civil servants. But did somebody,
instead of actually doing the lab tests, simply copy the numbers from one
column to the other?
C.
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