eof nstitute of Margarin Manufacturers BULLETIN No.4. _ September 30,1922 Oleomargarine Its Purity, Wholesomeness and Economic Importance BY J. S. ABBOTT Secretary, Institute of Margarin Manufacturers BULLETIN No. 4 September 30, 1922 The object of this bulletin is to set forth the fact that oleomargarine, also called margarin and margarine, is a clean, pure and wholesome article of food, and that it is scientifically made of the food products of American Agri- culture under government inspection. It therefore has a rightful place in our diet as well as in our economic system. Issued by the INSTITUTE OF MARGARIN MANUFACTURERS 1212 Munsey Building Wasuincton, D. C. IMPORTANCE OF FATTY FOODSTUFFS IN OUR DIET ‘*An abundant supply of fat is of major impor- tance in the consideration of nutrition, whether of the individual or the nation. Not only are fats whole- some, palatable, and most useful in cooking, but many also carry fat-soluble vitamin A. ‘‘An adequate national food policy therefore re- quires that an abundant fat supply be maintained during peace times as well as during war, and there is justification for the efforts made to find new sources of food fats and to make better use of those we now have.’’—U. S. Dept. of Agr. Bulletin No. 1033, July 27, 1922. OLEOMARGARINE Its Purity, Wholesomeness, and Economic Importance By J. S. ABBOTT, Secretary, Institute of Margarin Manufacturers LEOMARGARINE has been used in the United States for about fifty years. The annual consumption of it is from 100,000,000 to 400,000,000 pounds. Its composition, wholesomeness, food value, and economic importance are therefore worthy of careful considera- tion. There is no mystery about this product. The processes of man- ufacture are well known or can be easily ascertained. Its composi- tion is also well known. The government publishes annually not only the name but the quantity of each and every foodstuff used in its manufacture. By referring to Table I, it will be observed that they are fats, salt, and milk. These are pure and wholesome articles of food that are consumed in one form or another every day. Classes or Groups of Foodstuffs On the basis of their composition, foodstuffs have been divided into five classes, viz., protein, fats, carbohydrates, mineral matter, and water. In common language, according to the U. S. Food Leaflet No. 4, they are classified as follows: Vegetables and fruits. Milk, Eggs, Fish, Meat, Cheese, Beans, Peas, Peanuts. Cereals—Corn meal, Oatmeal, Rice, Bread, ete. Sugar, Sirups, Jelly, Honey, ete. Fats—Butter, Margarine (also called margarin and oleo- margarine), Cottonseed oil, Olive oil, Drippings, Suet, Lard, Neutral lard, Peanut oil, Oleo oil, Corn oil, Cocoa- nut oil, and many others. SN hr SoS Functions of Fats as Food Oleomargarine belongs in that group of foodstuffs that has been designated Fats. It should always be considered on that basis and 3 with that fact in mind, for each class of foodstuffs performs a pretty definite function or functions in our bodies. The fats perform two distinct functions. They make the rest of our diet more palatable and they supply our bodies with energy, that is, heat and power to work. According to the best scientific information a pound of one kind of fat yields exactly the same amount of heat and muscular energy as a pound of any other kind of fat and one kind of fat is ‘‘digested with practically the same ease and completeness’’ as any other kind of fat... See Table II. On the basis of the actual utility of a fat as a foodstuff, there is therefore no choice except in the matter of cleanli- ness, soundness, freedom from contamination, in short, safety as a food, price, convenience of handling, suitability for certain cooking purposes, and last but by no means least, palatability. Palatability of Fats Notwithstanding the fact that fats make the rest of our diet more palatable, fats themselves are not very palatable to the American people. Nobody in this country eats a fat or fatty foodstuff by itself. When eaten with the rest of our diet, the palatability of fatty food- stuffs depends upon their origin, upon the degree of their refinement, and upon the processes of their preparation. The refining processes may remove their flavor. In the making of mixtures or compounds in which fats are the chief constituents, desirable flavors may be im- parted to them. On this point, Holmes and Lang? make the fol- lowing statement: ‘‘The flavors and odors of fats are probably due to the pres- ence in them of small amounts of difficultly removable substances rather than to specific properties of the pure fats themselves, in view of the fact that flavors and odors become much less noticeable the more completely the fats are purified. The characteristic flavor of butter, for example, is due to the absorption by the fat of the sub- stances formed in the fermentation of milk and cream by lactic acid and bacteria and to the presence of small particles of curd.’’ How Oleomargarine is Made | The basis of the modern methods of making oleomargarine and the reasons for making it are found in the foregoing statements which may be summed up briefly as follows: The digestibility and energy value of the several kinds of fats as _ 1Dr. E. V. MeCollum, The Day’s Food in War and Peace by the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture and the U. S. Food Administration. 2A. D. Holmes and H. L. Lang, Bul. 469, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. food are practically the same. Fats have very little if any flavor. De- sirable flavors can be imparted to them. The liquid fats can be easily changed into soft or hard fats. The oleomargarine manufac- turer’s problem and his service to humanity is that of increasing our supply of fatty foodstuffs by utilizing our less expensive but equally valuable food fats by making them more palatable and by changing them from the inconvenient liquid form to a convenient soft or hard consistency. In making oleomargarine the manufacturer ripens clean pas- teurized milk under thoroughly sanitary conditions to the point that it will impart an agreeable flavor to the fats and oils which he pre- fers to use in his product. The mixture of ripened milk and fats and oils is then agitated, chilled, and worked to remove the excess water from it. It is salted to taste, cut or moulded into prints, and packed as it appears in commerce. The whole process seems very simple, but it is in reality a very scientific one. Every ingredient must be pure and clean. Temperatures must be exactly right. Machinery, buildings, and workmen must be clean. Even the air in the build- ings must be clean. Some factories pump the air through purifying machines into the manufacturing rooms. Government Supervision of Oleomargarine Manufacture The government supervision over these factories as well as over the manufacture of the product itself was well explained in the able address of Dr. E. P. Schaffter, Inspector in Charge, Bureau of Ani- mal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, at the third annual convention of the Institute of Margarin Manufacturers. He ex- plained in detail the government supervision over every ingredient of oleomargarine that contains animal fat from its source clear through to the labeling of the finished product. The following excerpts from his address are sufficient to indicate the thoroughness of that super- vision in connection with oleo oil, neutral lard, milk and butter, as well as with the buildings themselves. Dr. Schaffter said: ‘“My desire is to present to you in a brief and general way the inspection of the products entering into the composition of oleomar- garine, the character of the equipment for handling the ingredients used in its preparation, and the requirements as to sanitation in the establishments that operate under inspection. 5 ‘‘Regulations governing meat inspection in the U. S. Department of Agriculture require, primarily, that the construction of establish- ments which operate under inspection must conform to a type that will readily permit of their being maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. Abundant light, both natural and artificial, and sufficient ventilation are required in all rooms and compartments. Efficient drainage and plumbing system, and all drains and gutters should be properly installed with approved traps and vents to insure proper sanitary conditions. The rooms and compartments in which any meat or products is prepared or handled should be free from odors from the dressing rooms, toilets, etc. * * * ‘‘The water supply shall be ample, clean and potable. Equip- ment and utensils used for preparing, processing and otherwise han- dling meat or meat products shall be of such materials and construc- tion as will make them susceptible of being readily and thoroughly cleaned. Special reference is made to the need of properly con- structed equipment for pumping or otherwise conveying milk or cream or a mixture containing milk and cream through pipes or open con- ductors. The pumps, pipes, conductors and fittings shall be of sani- tary construction. * “‘The scope of inspection of the products entering into the com- position of oleomargarine in reality begins with the ante-mortem in- spection and continues throughout its various phases of processing and handling until it has reached that stage where the label is applhed to the container and the product is ready for shipment. But we will refrain from dealing with the general subject of inspection except as it directly applies to the products used in the manufacture of oleo- margarine. ‘‘The fats principally used in the production of oleo oil (which is used in making oleomargarine) and stearin are the caul and ruffle fats of the beef. One of the first operations in the dressing of the beef carcass is to make the incision along the median line, laying back of hide and the removal of the caul fat. This fat is placed immedi- ately in a metal receptacle, separate for the purpose of identification, and held until the final inspection of the careass is completed. * %# * After the fats are removed they are placed in receptacles with cold water and chilled until the animal heat is removed. ‘‘The product is now ready for the manufacture of oleo oil stock and stearin. The fats are then transferred from the chilling tanks to the enterprise hasher. In order to prevent unnecessary handling of the fats, this hasher is made portable so that it can be stationed near the steam jacketed melting tank so as to allow the fat to drop directly into the tank. This tank is equipped with mechanical agi- tators and the fat is melted at a temperature ranging between 145 and 155 degrees F., agitating it all the while it is melting. When the melting process is nearly finished, it will be noted that the animal tis- sue is slowly sinking to the bottom leaving the clear oil or stock on Lope) Wir ‘‘When the oil has been thoroughly settled out, it is drawn off through a steam pipe arranged near the top of the tank and drawn into the super settling tanks and allowed to settle and dry out to in- sure against moisture and tissue. * * 6 ‘‘The oleo oil expressed from the stock runs off through a small metal trough connected with the press into a receiver and transferred from this receiver directly into new tierces at a temperature of about 90 degrees F'. and allowed to remain in these receptacles until the temperature has lowered to about 65 or 70 degrees before being placed im thecooler: *))\ * ‘Neutral lard is one of the principal ingredients employed in the manufacture of oleomargarine. The manufacture of this product is similar to that of oleo stock, except for the temperatures and pressing. Chilling is also different. This lard is one of the best varieties of lard. It is made of the fat derived from the leaf fat of slaughtered animals (pork) in perfectly fresh state. It is taken immediately after the slaughtering and before the carcass is cold. ‘‘The rendering tank or agitator used in the manufacture of neu- tral lard is an equipment, the construction of which renders it readily and easily maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, but because of its being used usually at varying periods of time, there is a possi- bility of its corroding or becoming rusty. The tank should be flushed thoroughly with hot water and thoroughly dried and rubbed on the inside with a cloth saturated with a pale paraffin oil. This has the effect of preventing rustiness. ‘Dairy products used in the manufacture of oleomargarine are required to be pasteurized. Proprietors and operators are required to give to the Bureau advance information of the source of supply of butter intended for use in preparing oleomargarine so that the mat- ter of pasteurization can be checked against the official list. It is the desire of some official establishments to pasteurize the butter by heating it to a temperature not less than 180 degrees F. This treat- ment of the finished butter for use in preparing oleomargarine is ac- ceptable to the Bureau in leu of the requirement that such butter should be made from pasteurized products. Milk and cream used in the preparation of oleomargarine should be pasteurized and the butter used for this purpose should be made only from pasteurized products. *% * * ‘* After the product is packed and ready for shipment, the pack- age is required to bear either a stencil or a label showing the name of the product, the inspection legend and the establishment number. %& *% % ‘“*T have endeavored throughout the course of this paper to show the important part the Bureau occupies in the recommendation of the character of the equipment that is required to be used, the inspec- tion of the fats to be assured that none but those which are clean and sound enter into the composition of these products, a constant super- vision over the various processes of handling and manufacturing, and in fact a constant supervision until the product is prepared for ship- ment. During the entire course of their preparation, you will note that the inspector has insisted in avoiding all possible chances of con- tamination of the products entering into the manufacture of oleomar- garine by contact with the arms and hands of the workmen. This has resulted almost entirely jn the use of mechanical means for handling these products, * * 7 The Milk Used in Oleomargarine Not only must the milk and butter that are used in the manu- facture of oleomargarine be pasteurized as Dr. Schaffter said, but the dairies themselves from which the milk is obtained must be inspected and must conform to the sanitary requirements of the government. This double precaution is taken to make it doubly certain that oleo- margarine shall be a pure and wholesome product. The importance of a safe milk supply in the manufacture of milk products will be evident after reading the following paragraph on the subject by Dr. Lafayette B. Mendel, Milk and Its Products, The Day’s Food in War and Peace. He said: ‘Tt is unfortunate that a food as valuable as milk is one of our most perishable foods, and one which needs the most careful han- dling to keep it safe for use. We avoid dirty milk when we can see the dirt, but the existence of invisible dirt is sometimes forgotten. From the air (from contaminated water, from ill-cared-for utensils, from unclean hands the organisms called bacteria may find their way into the milk. Some of them are useful; without certain kinds, butter and cheese would not have their distinctive flavors. Some kinds cause milk to turn sour, though it still remains wholesome; others may form from it unwholesome, even poisonous products; still others may be disease germs that make milk a carrier of such maladies as infectious sore throat, diphtheria, typhoid fever, and tuberculosis. The only way to present danger is to see that everything connected with milk is kept as clean as possible and that neither the milk nor anything connected with it is handled by anyone who has come in contact with these diseases.’’ The milk used in every pound of oleomargarine made in the United States is produced and handled under the most sanitary con- ditions and finally pasteurized. It is therefore unquestionably safe in every respect. The animal and vegetable fats and oils that are used in the manufacture of oleomargarine are likewise pure and safe arti- cles of food. The Purity of Oleomargarine The purity, wholesomeness, cleanliness, safety, and food value of oleomargarine as it leaves the factory cannot be questioned. It is always a convenient, palatable, and safe article of diet. There is therefore no public health problem involved in it. It is the only article of food except meat and meat products that is under govern- ment inspection and supervision. The Bureau of Animal Industry even controls the labeling of every pound that contains any animal fat. The Bureau of Internal Revenue controls the labeling of every 8 pound of it regardless of its composition. The Bureau of Chemistry also has authority to prevent any adulteration or misbranding of it. More than 95 per cent of olemargarine is now packed in clean sanitary cartons and thus protected from contamination on its journey to the consumer. By every test, oleomargarine is a clean, safe, nutritious fatty foodstuff that performs all of the functions of the Fats group of foodstuffs. The Color of Oleomargarine The largest part of the oleomargarine sold in this country is white or nearly so. The ingredients used in its manufacture do not contain a sufficient amount of color to impart a yellow color to it. Some States prohibit the sale of oleomargarine of any shade of yellow. If it is artificially colored yellow, it is subject to a federal tax of 10¢ per pound. No such tax has ever been levied upon any other article of food. The manufacturer is not permitted to complete the manufac- turer’s job and color his oleomargarine to suit the eyes of the house- wife. She must do that herself or learn to eat a white product. A little capsule of color therefore goes with each retail package of mar- garine or will be given to the customer on request. The housewife may color the margarine with it. Vitamines So much has been written on Vitamines that it would be unnee- essary to mention this subject in this connection were it not for the fact of so much false advertising in connection with this new doctrine. - The only vitamine that has anything to do with oleomargarine, butter, or any one of the other numerous fats is vitamine A, commonly called **fat-soluble vitamine,’’ because it is more soluble in fats than in water. The other vitamines are not present in fats in important quantities. So far as is now known, plant life is the primary source of vita- mines. Animal tissue, especially the fats, contains vitamine A pro- vided the food which the animal eats contains it. The fats of cattle on green pasture in the spring time are rich in vitamine A. They contain less of it in the winter time when their feed is poor in it. Steenbock*® says the vitamine content of butter varies with the breed and feed of the cow. He reported one experiment in which the butter fat of a cow fed exclusively on alfalfa hay did not contain any 2 Dr. H. Steenbock, The Science Press, Vol. 50, p. 352. 9 fat-soluble vitamines. Dutcher* says, ‘‘In addition to seasonal varia- tions in the vitamine content of milk, we have observed marked ef- fects of climatic conditions. Periods of drouth, followed by brown- ing of the pastures and drying of the grass, are reflected in the growth curves of the experimental animals. Halliburton and Drum- mond’ found by experiment that some margarins contain sufficient quantities of vitamine A to produce growth, reproduction, and the rearing of the young of animals. They also found that some of them do not. Daniels and Loughlin® found that rats fed on a ration from which all fat-soluble vitamines had been removed except what was in the lard of the ration grew normally, reproduced, and reared their young. They got the same results with cottonseed oil. This subject might be one of serious concern if there were only two or three sources of vitamine A. Fortunately there are, according to Eddy, The Vitamine Manual, some sixty and odd different foodstuffs that contain this vitamine. The chances of a failure to get all of it we need in a varied diet are therefore negligible. The following para- graphs of a press notice issued by the U. 8. Department of Agricul- ture, June 19, 1922, is a sane, unselfish opinion on this subject: ‘Ever since the discovery of the presence in certain foods of those mysterious beneficial substances now known as vitamines, it has been thought that they were to be found in animal tissues most abundantly in certain of the internal organs, especially the heart, liver, and kid- neys, but the Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States De- partment of Agriculture now announces that they exist in the muscle fibre of beef, veal, mutton, lamb, and pork, and that pork is particu- larly well supplied with them. This new evidence on the distribution of vitamines in meats should not lead to the conclusion that certain meats are of low nutritive value because they are deficient in vita- mines. Meat is one of our most important foods and would continue to be so even though it contained no vitamines.’’ A similar statement is applicable to any other foodstuff. The vitamine doctrine is yet in its infancy and our present information relating to it may be greatly modified by new discoveries in a short time. It is apparent therefore that it is not necessary to try to buy vitamines. Economic Importance of Oleomargarine and of the Foodstuffs of Which it is Made Every civilized country is spending money in researches on the production and utilization of fats and oils. The political and economic 4Dr. R. A. Dutcher, The Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, December, 1921. 5 The Journal of Physiology, Sept. 1917. 6 Journal of Biological Chem., Vol. 42, No. 3. 10 life of a nation may depend upon these products. In an instructive and able address which he delivered at the Convention of the Institute of Margarin Manufacturers, Dr. W. W. Skinner, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Chemistry of the U. 8S. Department of Agriculture, said : ‘*A failure to fully appreciate the essential importance of a sup- ply of fat in the daily diet was one of the miscalculations of the Ger- man militarists in preparation for the great war. The Germans for years were mobilizing their agricultural and industrial resources in preparation for ‘the day’ and it seems now rather strange that, when so much energy and thought were expended in this direction, the po- tent fact of a deficiency in oils and fats should be ignored or dis- counted, especially since some of the foremost German scientists had pointed out the necessity for the growing of oil bearing plants and the domestic production of oils and fats to relieve the country from its undesirable condition of dependence upon foreign countries for an adequate supply. Shortly after the beginning of the war it became evident what an important aspect an adequate supply of oil was to as- sume. The Germans undoubtedly thought animal fats could be de- pended upon to furnish their needs, since German agricultural development for years had been deliberately and purposely devoted to the production and development of crops rich in carbohydrates. The error was soon discovered but try as they might the Germans never were able to supply the deficiency, and the lack of fats and oils had a direct and important influence as one of the factors in the final outcome. ‘