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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY— BULLETIN No. 100.

II. \\. \YII.KY. Chief.

SOME FORMS OF FOOD ADULTERATION

AND

SIMPLE METHODS FOR THEIR DETECTION.

W. D. BIGELOW,

Chief, Division of Foods,
AND

BURTON J. HOWARD,

Chief, Microchemical Laboratory.

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1906.

CONTENTS.

Pa«e.

General discussion 7

Public opinion 7

' "Adulteration " defined 8

Chemical preservatives 11

Coloring matter 12

F< >rins of adulteration of specific foods 14

Baking powder and baking-powder chemicals 14

Beverages 15

Alcoholic . 15

Nonalcoholic 16

Canned vegetables 16

Cereal products 18

Breakfast foods 18

Flour 19

Cocoa and chocolate 19

Coffee and tea *- - 20

Condimental sauces 21

Dairy products 22

Butter 22

Cheese 23

Cream 23

Milk 24

Edible fats and oils 26

Flavoring extracts 28

Fruit products *..'. 29

Meat preparations. : 31

Spices 33

Sugars, sirups, etc 37

Vinegar 40

Simple tests for the detection of food adulterants 41

Introduction 41

Chemical reagents 42

Determination of preservatives - 43

Detection of salicylic acid ^ 43

Detection of benzoic acid * 44

Detection-of boric acid and borax . 44

Detection of formaldehyde 45

Detection of saccharin . . . , 45

Detei^mnation of artificial colors 45

Detection of coal-tar dyes 45

Detection of copper 46

Detection of turmeric 47

Detection of caramel 48

* 5

6 CONTENTS.

Simple tests for the detection of food adulterants — Continued. Page

Examination of certain classes of foods 4i

Canned vegetables 4

Coffee 41

Physical tests 4!

Chemical tests 5<

Condimental sauces 5

Dairy products 5i

Butter. . _" 5<

Milk 5

Detection of water 5:

Detection of color 5;

Detection of formaldehyde .' 5:

Edible oils 5;

Detection of cottonseed oil 5!

Eggs 5;

Flavoring extracts 5-

Vanilla extract 5'

Detection of caramel 5-

Examination of resin 5i

Lemon extract 51

Fruit products 5<

Detection of starch &

Detection of glucose . . .' 5i

Detection of foreign seeds. 5'

Detection of preservatives and colors 5

Meat products 5

Detection of boric acid or borax 5

Detection of colors 5i

Spices 5i

Detection of starch in cloves, mustard, and cayenne 5i

Detection of colors 5i

Vinegar 51

SOME FORMS OF FOOD ADULTERATION AND SIMPLE METHODS
FOR THEIR DETECTION.

GENERAL DISCUSSION
PUBLIC OPINIONS

Since the middle of the last century the subject of food adultera-
tion has attracted a constantly increasing amount of attention. In
this country very little was done in this line until about 1880. In 1881
the Division of Chemistry began the study of food adulteration, and
since then has given a great deal of time to the subject. Since 1898
the origin and place of manufacture of the foods studied by the Bureau
have been carefully noted, and special attention has been given to
imported foods.

In 1883 the first practicable food-inspection law in the United States
was enacted in Massachusetts. Since that time other States have
enacted and enforced food laws until at the time of this writing (1906)
twenty-live States are seriously attempting to regulate the character
and quality of the foods sold in their markets. In three additional
States laws relating to the purity of dairy products are enforced, and
in several others a beginning has been made.

Food legislation has received much attention abroad and the more
highly civilized foreign countries have efficient food laws and enforce
them rigidly. The subject of the purity of foods is more widely
studied in the United States now than at any previous time. The
people as a whole are better informed on the subject than ever before,
and there is a constantly increasing demand for definite information.
In response to a very large number of inquiries regarding the matter
this bulletin has been prepared as a popular statement regarding the
nature and extent of food adulteration, and includes simple tests by
which the housekeeper or retail dealer may determine some of the more
prevalent forms of adulteration practiced.

The demand for information on this subject is now very general and,
as is often the case when public interest is deeply aroused, there is an
unfortunate tendency toward exaggeration which frequently amounts
to sensationalism. Such an attitude is to be deplored, and unless it is
checked must sooner or later react unfavorably. It is not unusual to
speak of some of our typical foods as poisoned, and of food manufac-
turers as poisoners. Such characterizations are unfortunate and
23468— No. 100—06 2 7

8 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

untrue. Deleterious substances are doubtless sometimes added to
foods. At the same time the word "poison" has a very strong and
distinct significance and should not be applied to any of the substances
ordinarily added to foods, except in the sense that they are harmful.
The word " poisoner" signifies a person who intentionally and delib-
erately administers an article intended to result fatally, or at least very
disastrously to health.

We do not for a moment admit that any manufacturer of foods adds
to his products sii^st^ces which he believes will be injurious to health.
There is no reason for attributing such motives to so large and impor-
tant aclass of our -citizens, and their business sagacity in other directions
precludes the possibility of shortsightedness of so serious a nature.
We can not do less than assume that manufacturers who depend for
their success upon the reputation of their brands will add nothing
which the}7 believe will make their products seriously detrimental to
health. It is not to their interest to shorten the lives of their customers
nor to impair their appetites. We must assume that they honestly
believe the products they employ to be wholesome. Therefore, in
judging of the wholesomeness of preservatives and other substances
added in the preparation of foods, the subject must be treated in a con-
servative manner and no criminal or even dishonest motives attributed
to those who differ with us on the subject.

"ADULTERATION" DEFINED.

During recent years there has been a tendency to confuse the minds
of many by an incorrect use of certain words frequently used in the
discussion of foods. It is the policy of some manufacturers to limit
the word "adulterated" to foods to which have been added substances
of lower value than the foods themselves with the intention of increas-
ing the weight or volume. This limitation is certainly not justified by
the English language nor by the facts, and such a restriction of the
term is entirely unwarranted. The word "adulterated" properly
describes a food to which any noncondimontal foreign substance, not
properly constituting a portion of the food, has been added. The fact
that the added substance may be at times of a greater commercial value
than the food itself has no bearing on the question. Conversely, the
word "pure" is properly applicable to foods that are unmixed with
any foreign substance. It may be wholesome or unwholesome, but
this property is not indicated by the word " pure" or "adulterated."
This definition is not, of course, complete. According to the laws of
many of the State* ;l food is declared to be adulterated under the fol-
lowing condition.-*:

First, if any substance or substaixvs hav»- UTM mixed with it, so as to lower or
depreciate or injuriously afiWt it> quality, strvn«rth. or purity; si-mud, if any infe-
rior or cheaper substance or substances have been substituted wholly or in part for

ADULTERATION DEFINED. 9

it; third, if any valuable or necessary constituent or ingredient has IKH>II wholly or
in part abstracted from it; fourth, if it is an imitation of or is sold under the name
of another article; fifth, if it consists wholly or in part of a diseased, decomposed,
putrid, infected, tainted, or rotten animal or vegetable substance or article, whether
manufactured or not, or, in the case of milk, if it is the product of a diseased animal;
sixth, if it is colored, coated, polished, or powdered, whereby damage or inferiority
is concealed, or if by any means it is made to appear better or of greater value than
it really is; seventh, if it contains any added substance or ingredient which is poison-
ous or injurious to health: /Yor/W,</, That the provisions of this act shall not apply
to mixtures or compounds recogni/ed as ordinary articles or ingredients of articles
of food, if each and every package sold or offered for sale bear the name and address
of the manufacturer and be distinctly labeled under its own distinctive name and in
a manner so as to plainly and correctly show that it is ti mixture or compound, and
is not in violation with definitions fourth and seventh of this section.

The claim is made by some manufacturers that the addition of a
preservative to food does not properly constitute adulteration because
the preservatives added are of greater commercial value than the foods
themselves. Such a claim, however, seems to be nothing but a play
upon words. For instance, benzoate of soda has a greater commercial
value, weight for weight, than tomatoes, and the-claiin has been made
that for that reason its addition to tomatoes actually increases the
expense of the preparation of tomato catsup. As a matter of fact,
however, it permits the tomato pulp to be prepared in large quantities
and preserved in barrels in a much less expensive way than can 1><-
done without its use. It is evident, therefore, that even though the
preservative employed is more expensive than the substance to
.which it is added, the addition is really made for the purpose of cheap-
ening the product. It is not for this reason that such a substance is
properly called an adulterant, however, but because it is an added
foreign substance and is neither a food nor a condiment. These defi-
nitions can not be emphasized too strongly. Adulterated foods are
not necessarily unwholesome foods.

The term "misbranded" is appropriately applied to foods incor-
rectly described by the label. The word has not the same significance
as "adulterated," and yet the two terms may frequently be applied to
the same product. For instance, commercial starch is sometimes added
to sausage to increase its weight and permit of the use of a larger
amount of water or of fatter meat than could otherwise be used. Such
a product may properly be deemed adulterated, and at the same time,
if the article were properly branded, it might not be open to objection
either on the score of unwholesomeness or adulteration. If such an
article, however, be sold simply as sausage, the purchaser must natu-
rally assume that no substance has been added to increase the weight
of the material without a corresponding increase of nutritive value.
The addition of starch to sausage, therefore, is not in itself deleterious
to health, but in the absence of a proper declaration is a fraud, because
it cheapens the article which the customer supposes he is buying. In

10 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

this connection, however, attention should be called to the claim of
packers that 1 or 2 per cent of starch should be added to the sausage
that is to be boiled, in order to prevent its shrinking when the sausage
is cooked.

The following definitions of " adulteration " and "misbranding," as
applied to foods, are taken from the food bill now pending in Con-
gress: a

SEC. 6. That for the purposes of this act an article shall be deemed to be adul-
terated—

In the case of food:

First. If any substance has been mixed and packed with it so as to reduce or
lower or injuriously affect its quality or strength.

Second. If any substance has been substituted wholly or in part for the article.

Third. If any valuable constituent of the article has been wholly or in part
abstracted.

Fourth. If it be mixed, colored, powdered, coated, or stained in a manner whereby
damage or inferiority is concealed.

Fifth. If it contain any added poisonous or other added deleterious ingredient
which may render such article injurious to health: Provided, That when in the
preparation of food products for shipment they are preserved by an external appli-
cation applied in such manner that the preservative is necessarily removed mechan-
ically, or by maceration in water, or otherwise, the provisions of this act shall be
construed as applying only when said products are ready for consumption.

Sixth. If it consist in whole or in part of a filthy, decomposed, or putrid animal
or vegetable substance, or any portion of an animal unfit for food, whether manu-
factured or not, or if it is a product of a diseased animal, or one that has died other-
\vi-e than by slaughter.

SEC. 7. That the term "misbranded," as used herein, shall apply to all drugs, or
articles of food, or articles which enter into the composition of food, the package or
label of which shall bear any statement regarding the ingredients or substances con-
tained in such article, \vhich statement shall be false or misleading in any particular,
ami to any food or drug product which is falsely branded as to the State, Territory,
or country in which it is manufactured or produced.

That for the purposes of this act an article shall also be deemed to be misbranded:

In the case of food —

First. If it be an imitation of or offered for sale under the distinctive name of
am >t her article.

Second. If it be labeled or branded so as to deceive or mislead the purchaser, or
purport to lx? a foreign product when not so.

Third. If in package form, the quantity of the contents of the package be not
plainly and correctly stated in terms of weight or measure, on the outside of the
package.

Fourth. It the package containing it or its label shall bear any statement, design,
or device Hoarding the ingredients or the substances contained therein, which state-
ment, de-iim. or device shall be false or misleading in any particular: I'mritli'il, That
an article of food which does not contain any added poisonous or deleterious ingre-
dient shall not !><• deemed to IK? adulterated or misbranded in the following cases:

First. In the case <>f mixtures or compounds which may be now or from time to
time hereafter known as article- <>!' food, under their own distinctive names, and not
an imitation ,,r offered for sale under the distinctive name of another article, if the

"House of Representatives, Fifty-ninth Congress, Report No. 21 IS, March 7, 1906.

CHEMICAL PHESERV A 1 l\ !•>. 11

name be accompanied on the same label or brand with a statement of the place where
said article has been manufactured or produced.

Second. In the case of articles labeled, branded, or taggrd so as to plainly indicate
that they are compounds, imitations, or blends: /Vor/VrJ, That the term blend a-
nsed herein shall be construed to mean a mixture of like substances, not excluding
harmless coloring or flavoring ingredients: And provided further, That nothing in this
act shall be construed as requiring or compelling proprietors or manofacturon of pro-
prietary foods which contain no unwholesome added ingredient to disclose their trade
formulas, except in so far as the provisions of this act may require to secure freedom
from adulteration or misbranding.

CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES.

During recent years the practice has sprung up of adding to many
articles of foods certain chemical substances which have the property
of delaying or preventing fermentation and decay. These substances
are commonly known as chemical preservatives. Among them are
salicylic, benzoic, and boric acids, and their sodium salts (sodium
salicylate, sodium benzoate, and borax), formaldehyde, ammonium
fluorid, sulphurous acid, and sulphites.

It is claimed by those who favor the use of chemical preservatives that
the action of the latter is similar to that of salt, vinegar, and wood smoke,
and that the use of the former is not open to greater objection than that
of the latter. In fact, there are not wanting some who claim that the
former are less objectionable than the latter. The literature regard-
ing the wholesomeness of the so-called chemical preservatives is not by
any means uniform in either approving or disapproving them. It is
the opinion of this Bureau that they can not be regarded as entirely
wholesome even in the small amounts generally added to foods. The
recent investigations conducted by this Bureau, in which twelve men
were used as subjects, demonstrated that boric acid is injurious to
health." The experiments of the German Imperial Board of Health
had the same result, and Germany has prohibited the use of this pre-
servative altogether. It is almost universally conceded that formalde-
hyde and fluorids are injurious, and the weight of evidence is decidedly
adverse to sulphurous acid as a preservative of meat products. The
experiments of the Bureau of Chemistry indicate that neither salicylic
acid nor benzoic acid is free from injurious effects.

There are now upon the market a large number of brands of com-
mercial preservatives, and there are firms who make a specialty of
preparing such preservatives. These substances are usually composed
of the chemicals mentioned above. They are frequently sold with the
statement that the}^ comply with all pure-food laws, that they are
entirely wholesome, and the claim is sometimes made that they are
new products, and that their presence in foods can not be detected by

«U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Chemistry, Circular No. 15 (digest) and Bui. No. 84,
Parti.

12 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

the chemist. These statements are all untrue. As stated above, com-
mercial preservatives usually consist of common substances of well-
known antiseptic action. Their use is forbidden in many States, and
their detection is not a difficult matter.

As a result of these claims many small manufacturers are led unwit-
tingly to violate the food laws of the various States. By using com-
mercial preservatives which they are led to believe are not objectionable
they add substances to their foods which they would not knowingly
employ. Such instances have repeatedly occurred, and a number of
preparations of similar nature are also put up in small packages and
sold by agents from house to house for the preparation of what is
known as ' ' cold process " preserves. These preparations are sold under
the claims mentioned above, and many housekeepers have been led to
use them who would not have employed them had the}^ known their
true character. Unfortunately, the}r are sometimes accompanied by
directions for the preparation of fruits without any heat whatever,
and in such cases the amount of preservatives employed is often far
in excess of that which even the advocates of food preservatives
advise.

COLORING MATTER.

Some difference of opinion has arisen among hygienists regarding
the wholesomeness of the substances frequently employed for coloring
foods. European countries have legally recognized the wholesome-
ness of a considerable number of coal-tar derivatives. In this country
a preference is frequently given by the State laws to vegetable colors,
although coal-tar derivatives are more commonly employed.

As far as their application to the preparation of foods is concerned,
coal-tar colors have been found to be much more satisfactory from a
technical standpoint than the pure vegetable colors. The}r are readily
soluble, are cheap in consideration of the amount employed, and with-
stand the action of light and time much better than the ordinary
vegetable colors available for coloring food.

In addition to any influence on digestion and health which the coal-
tar colors may have, a certain amount of arsenic is added to them by
some methods of preparation. In some colors, however, prepared
with a special view to use in foods, arsenic is practically or entirely
absent. In this connection it must be borne in mind that the amount
of coloring matter necessary to give a food the desired tint is very
small, and the danger to health resulting from its use should not be
exaggerated. The question of fraud, however, remains, and the use of
colors enables the manufacturer to give inferior products the appear-
ance of high-priced goods. Yet again the colors may be used merely
to produce an appearance more attractive to the eye and in accordance
with popular taste, even though the best materials were employed.
Thus, coloring matter may be added to foods fois any of the following

COLORING MATT IK. 13

reasons: It is sometimes placed in jelly and similar preparations when
made only from the more expensive fruits and sugar, to make the
color more permanent and enable the product to retain its appearance
for a longer time upon the shelves of the grocer. If a considerable
portion of the fruit has been replaced by means of apple juice and
glucose, the coloring matter is added to simulate the appearance of the
fruit that is supposed to be present. In the cheapest grade of jellies,
which are made entirely from apple and glucose, and flavored artifi-
cially to imitate the product of higher priced fruit, coloring matter is
employed to represent the appearance of the product imitated.

In the preparation of tomato catsup the natural coloring matter of
the tomato is largely destroyed. This destruction is not so complete
if the product is promptly made as when the pulp is stored for a con-
siderable time before it is used, long storage of the pulp bleaching it
to some extent. The addition of a little coloring matter, therefore,
has been resorted to for the purpose of imitating the color of the
product which is made promptly and by the most careful methods.
The addition of color, however, is likely to be abused, and this tendency
has resulted in placing upon our market tomato catsup of a deep-red
color, much more vivid than could possibly be obtained without the
use of artificial colors.

In the preparation of cucumber pickles the natural green of the
cucumber is somewhat impaired. Some manufacturers have employed
copper compounds for the purpose of imparting to the product a
greenish tint. This also has been carried to excess, and we sometimes
find upon our market pickles of a bright green hue which is not sug-
gestive of any natural food. The same practice obtains in the prepara-
tion of canned peas and beans. The great majority of those products
imported from Europe are colored with copper, and as a result are of
a much brighter color than the same vegetables cooked when gathered
freshly from the garden.

In the manufacture of butter it is found that the color varies with
the season of the year, the feed of the cow from -which the milk is
obtained, and within certain limits with the breed of the cow. This
results in a variation in the color of butter which manufacturers have
attempted to correct by adding a sufficient amount of coloring matter
to make the color uniform. This practice has also been carried to
excess, and the butter now on our market is colored more deeply than
is natural. This color varies in different markets of the country. For-
tunatel}T, during recent years, there has been a tendency to decrease
the color of the butter, and it is to be hoped that before many years
people will demand a product which is prepared without any addition
of color whatever.

Coloring matter is sometimes employed for the purpose of simulat-
ing the appearance of a more perfect article than that actually used.

14 FOOD .ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

For instance, in the preparation of canned tomatoes a product having
a certain brightness of color may be obtained if the tomatoes are per-
fect, full}7 ripe, and of certain varieties. Often, however, the toma-
toes delivered to the canner do not yield a product of the desired color.
For this reason some canners make a practice of adding coloring
matter to their product, thus giving it an appearance which they say
is more acceptable to their customers.

Again, in the case of meat the color disappears after considerable
time, the meat losing its bright, fresh color before the process of decay
is evident. Therefore, the coloring matter is not usually applied to
fresh meat held at low temperature, but to chopped meat, Hamburg
steak, and sausage, the addition of coloring matter to this product thus
giving it the fictitious appearance of fresh meat.

FORMS OF ADULTERATION OF SPECIFIC FOODS.

In the following pages are given under each class of foods treated
the results of the examination of foods in a number of laboratories in
the United States. These tables give usually the number of samples
of each product examined in the various laboratories and the number
found not to comply with the laws of the States in which they were
examined. The figures given in these tables, however, must not be
understood to represent the percentage of the various classes of foods
in the United States that are adulterated, but rather the kinds of adul-
teration practiced and in a general way whether such forms of adulter-
ation are more or less frequent.

The samples submitted to analysis were not usually representative
samples. The inspectors in the various States are trained men, and are
always instructed to select especially those samples which they have
reason to believe are likely to be adulterated. Brands of foods which
they know from previous experience are pure are, therefore, not com-
monly taken by these inspectors, and products whose purity for any
reason they are inclined to suspect are sampled. In the report of each
laboratory, therefore, the percentage of adulterated samples is stated,
not in terms of the average foods of the State, but in terms of the foods
which experienced inspectors have regarded with suspicion.

BAKING POWDERS AND BAKING CHEMICALS.

Baking powders consist of a mixture of bicarbonate of soda with
some acid ingredient. When the powders are moistened, these two
substances unite and liberate carbon dioxid gas. To prevent the two
substances mentioned above uniting prematurely while the baking
powder is still in the package, owing to moisture in the atmosphere,
starch is usually employed as a filler. Some brands are claimed by
the manufacturers to contain no filler, but to consist exclusively of
sodium bicarbonate and the acid ingredient employed.

ADULTERATION OF BEVERAGES,

Three substances are used as tin- acid ingredient of baking powder —
cream of tartar, alum (basic aluminum sulphate), and acid phosphate.
In some powders a mixture of alum and acid phosphate is employed.
Sometimes the amount of tiller employed is excessive, and sometimes
foreign mineral matter is present. Perhaps the most objectionable
form of adulteration of baking powder that has occurred in recent
years was the use of a considerable percentage of ground soapstone.
The particles of stone were sharp-cornered and decidedly inappropriate
for use in the preparation of foods.

The cream of tartar on the market is frequently adulterated with
other acid substances, such as alum and acid calcium phosphate. These
materials are of a more acid nature than cream of tartar, and permit
of the addition of a considerable percentage of inert material which is

often employed.

TABLE I. — Cream of tartar.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Alum, calcium sulphate, acid calcium
phosphate, and starch.
Do

Freq

76
Freq

91
343
326
317
4

11
20
5

lent.
4

24
uent.

19
5
20
5
4

7
6
2

Senate Rept. 516, p. 117, 56th Congress,
2d session.
Senate Rept. 516, p. 584, 56th Congress,
2d session.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Senate Rept. 516, p. 529, 56th Congress,
2d session.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1904.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm.,
1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm.,
1904.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm.,
1903.
Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.

Do .

Terra alba, acid calcium phosphate. . .

Acid phosphate of lime, cornstarch,
sulphate of lime, alum, etc.
Do

No cream of tartar present

BEVERAGES.
ALCOHOLIC.

Wine is sometimes prepared artificially by the fermentation of glu-
cose with the addition of resins, or some fruit juice, and artificially
colored. Such products, however, are probably not sold as a beverage
to any extent and do not form an important part of our commerce.
The cheaper grades of wine are sometimes colored artificially and chem-
ically preserved.

Carbonated wines, prepared by means of dissolving in them carbon
dioxid gas under pressure, are sometimes sold as champagne. On the
whole, the fraudulent practice most frequently employed with wine
p misbranding with regard to its variety and place of manufacture.

Beer is frequently preserved chemically. In the case of whisky and
[brandy artificial products are often sold under labels which represent
23468— No. 100—06 3

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOB DETECTION.

them to. be natural products. So-called essences are made on the man-
ufacturing scale and sold commercially for the preparation of bever-
ages intended to represent the various classes of distilled liquors. To
these products a small amount of soap is sometimes added to produce
a "bead".

NONALCOHOLIC.

Nonalcoholic beverages, such as ginger ale and the various fruit
sirups, are frequently preserved with salicylic acid and benzoic acid
and colored with coal-tar derivatives. These products may be detected
;is described on pages Jr3 to 4:6. Sirups for soda-water fountains are
sometimes altogether artificial and are commonly preserved, colored,
and often flavored artificially.

TABLE II. — Xonalcoh nlic I leverages.
CARBONATED PRODUCTS.

Extent of adulteration.

Adulterant.

No-samples!^^8
examined. a^der

Reference.

Artificial flavors and colors

71 43

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Stu.. Pt. 3,

190-

69 26

Rept Kv Agr Expt Sta 1902

Do. .

36 23

Rept. N. H. State Bd. Health, 1903-4

36 24

Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1903.

SHIM'S AND FRUIT JUICES.

I ; ', MCI 1-1 •

120

Rept Conn Agr Expt Sta 1899

I'rcviTva lives

120

Artificial flavors

120

Do. ...

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. 1897.

Artificial flavors and colors"
Do

113
27

76
20

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.

Preservatives (ynipe juice)
Do

6
13

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.

Preservatives (grape juice and
cider),

(' 1 1 ivcs (lime juice)

3
5

3
4

Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902,

MISCELLANEOUS,

S.ilicvlic acid (cider)

Rept. Mans. State Bd. Health, 1903.

Salicvlic acid (ginger alci

"Simps from soda fountains.
CANNED VEGETABLES.

Canned vegetable constitute a class of products relatively free from
adulteration by means of foreign substances. Imported canned peas
arc commonly colored with copper sulphate. Owing to the enforce-
ment of the imported food law by the Bureau of Chemistry, the pres-
ence of copper is now almost universally stated on the labels of the.c
o-oods. Peas and beans UTOWII mid canned in America are rare
colored.

ADULTERATION <>F VKiiKTAHI.KS.

One of the most frequent frauds in this class of products is the
preparation of goods which have reached a relatively mature state,
and the selling of such products a> first grade. Mature peas, for
instance4, are sometimes soaked for the purpose of softening them,
canned, and sold as peas of first quality. Again, peas that are not
thoroughly ripe, but so nearly mature as to be relatively hard and
white, are sometimes canned as a high grade article.

At the period at which sugar corn is canned the sugar disappears
very rapidly after picking and it is customary to add some sugar at
the time of canning. During recent years many canning establish
nicnts replaced sugar with saccharin, an artificial sweetening material
derived from coal tar. A few years ago it was customary to bleach
corn for canning by means of sulphites, but this practice has been
almost entirely discontinued.

Tomatoes are sometimes colored artificially in order to add to the
price of an inferior article.

TABLE III. — Canned vegetables.

ASPARAGUS.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Preservatives

9
13

7
11

Rept. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1900.
Bull. 13. Pt. 8, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1893.

BEANS (STRING AND LIMA).

Copper (French origin)

Copper (American origin)"! .

Co%eor::::

Preservatives

Saccharin

Preservatives ( French)

Preservatives (American)..
Do

Preservatives. ..

Do...

Occasional.

do.

Rare.

Frequent.

Bull. 13, Pt. 8, DiT. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1893.
Do.

Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt, Sta., 1905.

Do.

Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem. , U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1893.

Do.

N.C.Food Kept., 1900.
Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,

1893.
N.C.Food Rept., 1900.

(TORN.

Preservatives .

Do....

Sulphites .

Do...

Do....
Saccharin

Do....

Do....
Sulphites .

70 .
Frequent.

70 |

Frequent.
Occasional.

Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.

1893.

Bull. 165, N. C. Expt. Sta., 1899.
N.C.Food Rept., 1900.
Bull. 165, N. C. Expt. Sta., 1899.
Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.

1893.
N.C.Food Rept. ,1900.

•1 N.C.Food Rept., 1900.

Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.
Do.

« Contained small amount of copper.

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

TABLE III. — Canned vegetables —Continued.

MUSHROOMS.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Sulphites

Freq

uent.

Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.

PEAS.

Copper sulphate and soaked goods.
Copper (French goods)

Copper

Copper (American goods ) .

Copper

Preservatives.

Aluminum salts.

Borates

Saccharin

Not specified

Do...

Frequent.

81 1

36
Occasional.

do.
Rare.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.

Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept, Agr.

1893.

Rept.N. Y. Dairy Comm., 1895.
Repts. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.

Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem. ,U. S. Dept. Agr.,

1893.

Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.
Bull. 13, Pt. 8, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,

1893.

N. C. Food Rept., 1900.
Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.
do.
do.

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

TOMATOES.

Preservatives

N. C. State Bd. Agr , 1900.

Salicvlic acid

Bull 13 Pt 8 Div Chem U S Dept Agr

Not specified .

1893. '
Rept Ohio Dairy and Food Comm 1903.

CEREAL PRODUCTS.
BREAKFAST FOODS.

During the last few years the number of breakfast foods on the
market has been enormously increased, and very many of them are
extensively advertised by means of greatly exaggerated statements
regarding their nutritive value. Some of these products are simply
ground with no other preparation than the removal of the hulls, etc.
Others are partially cooked, and still others are "predigested " by
means of special treatment.

There appears to be some doubt as to the amount of advantage
derived from the treatment to which the partially cooked and pre-
digested foods arc subjected. All breakfast foods when thoroughly
cooked seem to be equally as digestible as the products placed on the
market in a more advanced state of preparation.

The rumors which have been circulated from time to time that
arsenic and other poisonous substances are used in breakfast foods
have been entirely without foundation. There is no doubt of the
wholesonieness of these food*. At the same time, the exaggerated
claims made by the manufacturers regarding their superior nutritive
qualities are to be deplored.

ADULTERATION OF COCOA.

FLOUR.

ThiMv is an impression in some quarters, nn fortunately, that flour
is adulterated with ground gypsum or other mineral matter. It U
also believed by many that alum is used for the purpose of whitening
bread. It may be said, however, that these forms of adulteration are
not practiced in this country.

Some years ago an effort was made to place4 on the market a ground
stone for the purpose of adulterating flour. This product was exten-
sively advertised by means of circular letters addressed to millers. A-
far as we have been able to ascertain, however, the product was never
used. At one time during recent years the use of Indian corn flour
for the adulteration of wheat flour became somewhat prevalent. This
practice was entirely stopped by the enforcement of the Federal law
relating to mixed flour. At the present time there is probably no
product on our market more free from adulteration than wheat flour.

Some adulteration is practiced in special kinds of flour. For
instance, much of the so-called gluten flour on the market is not at all
what it purports to be. Frequently untreated wheat flour is sold for
gluten flour. Buckwheat flour and other special articles of that nature
are also frequently adulterated with cheaper cereal products.

TABLE IV. — Cereal products.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Coal-tar dyes and other colors
(in vermicelli).
Turmeric, foreign colors, etc.
(in noodles).
Do .

10
28

22
20
2
10
24
64

22
1
1
3
2
2

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.
Do.

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1904.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.
Kept. Mich. Dairvand Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.

Not specified (in cereals)
Wheat flour (in buckwheat flour).
Do

Not specified (in flour) :

COCOA AND CHOCOLATE.

In the preparation of cocoa and chocolate, cocoa beans are roasted,
freed from shells, and ground. The resulting product is known as
cocoa mass. It contains about 50 per cent of fat (cocoa butter), and is
sometimes melted into cakes without any further addition and sold as
plain chocolate or bitter chocolate.

For the preparation of sweetened chocolate, cane sugar is added to
the cocoa mass and ground at a temperature sufficient to melt the fat.
Milk chocolate is prepared by mixing with the cocoa mass dry milk
powder (obtained by the evaporation of whole milk) and sugar.

Cocoa is obtained by pressing the cocoa mass while still sufficiently
warm to melt the fat so that a portion of it is removed. The fat is

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

melted into cakes and sold as cocoa butter, while the pressed cake> of
cocoa from which a portion of the fat has been extracted are ground
up in the preparation of breakfast cocoa.

For the purpose of cheapening cocoa and chocolate, starches of vari-
ous kinds are ground in with the cocoa mass at the time of the intro-
duction of the sugar or with the cocoa after the expression of the fat.
The list of the various starches that have been reported from different
sources is given in Table V. It will be noted that with a few excep-
tions the adulterants reported in this class of products are not injurious
to health except in so far as they reduce the nutritive value of the
product. At the same time such products as iron oxid, sawdust, sand,
and wood>' shells can not be regarded as wholesome and should not
be added to foods.

TABLE V. — Cocoa and chocolate.

Adulterated.

Kxtent ofa<

No. sain pies
examined.

lulte- ration.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

1
6

1
14

4
1
2

1
uent.

6
9
34
18
20
18
lent.
12
51

14
18
19

Reference.

Cereal

C.4

32
(14

32
61

32
64
64
64

FreS

29
18
73
45
42
39
Freq
33
64

32
40
45

Bull. 13, Pt. 7, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1892.
Unpublished records, Bureau Chem.
Bull. 13, Pt. 7, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1892.
Unpublished records, Bureau Chem.
Bull. 13, Pt. 7, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1892.
Unpublished records, Bureau ("hem.
Bull. 13, Pt. 7, Div. Chem., 1892.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Unpublished records, Bureau Chem.
Bull. 13, Pt. 7, Div. Chem., 1S92.
Unpublished records, Bureau Chem.
Kept. Mass. State B<l. Health. 1901.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 190J.
Kept. Mass. Slate Bd. Health, 1903.
Kept. Mich. Dairv and Food Com in., 1904.
Kept, N. D. Ayr. Kxpt.Sta.,1905.
Rept. Ma-s. State Bd. Health. 1900.
Bull. 13, Pt. 7, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1892.
Unpublished records, Bureau Chem.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Kxpt. Sta.. ItHM.
K. -pt.( 'OHM. Agr. Expt.Sta., 1902.

Do...

Wheat.

Arrowroot

Corn

Rice

Potato

.Excess of cocoa husks

Low-grade sugars o

I n '-wi-i't chi ><•< >la tt-

Wheat flour and mai/.e starch
Do

Foreign starch

All adulterants

Wheat, flour maize starch ''.

Bermuda arrowroot starch, wheat

flour.r

«ln tweet chocolate.

'• In chocolate.

<• In cocoa.

COFFEE AND TEA.

Owing to the enforcement of the Federal tea law, by inspectors sta-
tioned at all ports of entry, it is believed that no adulterated tea
comes into this country, and it is probably true that the adulteration
of this product is not practiced after entry. Formerly it was believed
that many other leave-* were used as substitutes or adulterants for tea,
and a sample may be readily examined for such adulterants by thor-
oughly wetting and unrolling the leaves and noting their shape.

With regard to coffee, however, while it is believed that only the

MH'LTKRATION OF SAIVKS.

pure product is brought into the country, its adulteration at'tcr ivarh
ing our shores is not uncommon. The attempts that have been made
to imitate the coffee bean have not been commercially successful, but
the ground coffees sold in the market are frequently adulterated. For
this purpose chicory was usually employed, but has since been largely
replaced by art ides of lower value — ground peas, wheat, beans, barley.
etc., now being commonly used. The principal offense in the <-o!lVe
trade is misbranding as to country of origin. The sale of Bra/Mian
cotl'ee, for example, as Java or Mocha is unfortunately very common.
The artificially molded coffee berries, referred to above, are not on
the market, as far as is known, but may be readily distinguished by
cutting a cross section of the bean and examining its structure. That
of the artificial bean is of a compact, solid, uniform nature, whereas
the true coffee has a characteristic structure that can not be imitated.
If pure coffee is desired, therefore, the most practical plan is to buv
it unground.

TABLE \\.-Coffee.

Adulterant.

Kxtent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Chicory, ground peas,
Hour, etc.
Do

wheat 50
33

3
9
13
10
2
6

4
2
36
31

Kept. Conn. Agr.Expt. St .. 1't. 2. 1901.

Kept. Conn. Agr.Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1903.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Exct. Sta., Pt. 2 1904.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Kept, Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Kept. Mi.ss. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Kept, Kv. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comni., 1901.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1902.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.

Do .

143

125

Do .

106

Do..

Do....,

CONDIMENTAL SAUCES.

The term " condimental sauces" as here used is intended to apply
to catsups, pickles, and miscellaneous sauces, it is not intended to
include vinegar or spices, which are considered under other captious
(see pp. 33 and 40).

Catsups are very commonly colored and preserved. In the home a
single bottle of catsup may be kept open for a considerable time, and
a demand has been found for preserved goods in order that the bottle
may be kept without deterioration of the contents for some time after
it is opened. Again, some manufacturers buy the greater part of the
tomatoes used in making catsup within a very short period in the sum-
mer. They then prepare the pulp and store it in barrels, preserved
with benzoic or salicylic acid to prevent its spoiling. Owing to the
demand for catsups free from preservatives, however, some firms are
now preparing their goods in small bottles sterilized by heat. These

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

are found to keep perfectly well before opening, but of course must be
used within a reasonable time after they are opened, and be kept in a
cool place. An additional expense attends the preparation of goods in
this manner, as it is necessary to preserve the pulp by means of sterili-
zation by heat until such time as it is desirable to prepare the catsup.
Pickles are sometimes colored with copper, as in the case of imported

peas and beans.

TABLE VII. — ('ondimental sauces.

CATSUPS.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Preservatives

36
94

66
53
2
23
36
12
48
36
56
22
Freqi
8
Freqi
48
12
56
42
12
80
42
9

35
79

66
50
2
12
5
12
31
30
8
22
lent.
8
lent.
43
5
46
35
4
34
2
9

Kept. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1900.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt.Sta., 1901.

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt.Sta., 1904.
Kept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Kept, Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Kept. N. H. State Bd. Health, 1903-4.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. 111. DairyandFood Comm., 1899-1900.
Kept. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1900.
Bull. 86, Kv. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1903.
Kept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.
Kept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Rept.N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.
111. Dairy arid Food Kept., 1899-1900.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Bull. 86, Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897,
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

Preservatives and artificial color-
'"go

Do ....

Artificial coloring

Coal tar dyes

Do . . .

Coal tar dyes and preservatives. . .
Starch

Not specified

CHILI SAUCE.

Preservatives and artificial colors.
Do.

9
15

7
16

Kept
Kept

Conn.
Conn

Agr.
Aerr

Expt.
Expt

Sta..
Sta

1901

l-.'i'l

PICKLES.

Preservatives.glucose, copper salts.
Do

21
5

20
5

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Kept. Mass State Bd Health 1901

Not specified

Kept. Ohio Dairvand Food Comm., 1903.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Preservatives (in sauces)

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta. 1901

Preservatives (in catsup, etc.) —

Kept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.

DAIRY PRODUCTS.
BUTTER.

The sale of oleomargarin as butter \\:i> formerly very common, but
the enforcement of the internal-revenue laws, relative to that subject,
by the Treasury Department, and of the State laws,a have greatly less-

«U. S. Dept. of Agr., Bureau of Chemistry. I'.ul.
and Food Control.

Revised, Parts I-VIII, Foods

ADULTERATION OK DAIRY PRODUCTS. 23

ened this species of fraud, although, as will be seen on consulting
the table on page 25, violations of these laws still occur with consid-
erable frequency.

It is now the custom to treat much of the rancid butter on the mar-
ket in such a way as to remove the rancidity in the preparation of
what is known as "process" or " renovated butter." In the early days
of the manufacture of this article it was ordinarily sold as fresh butter.
At the present time, however, this product is required to be marked
on the wrapper with the words " Renovated Butter," and violations
of the law requiring this are relatively infrequent. This law is
enforced by the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of
Agriculture in collaboration with the Treasury Department." The
chemical analyses necessary in the enforcement of the law are made
in the Bureau of Chemistry.

Butter is sometimes preserved with boric acid, and glucose has
sometimes been found as an adulterant. The coloring of butter is
usual, and is permitted by the laws of all the States. The principles
governing the legislation regarding coloring matter of foods in gen-
eral have not been ordinarily applied to the coloring of butter. The
present tendenc}7, however, seems to be to prepare butter with a
lighter tint, .and a more natural-looking article can now be found in
the market than formerly.

CHEESE.

One of the most frequent methods of adulterating cheese is to pre-
pare it from milk which has been skimmed and to which some other
form of fat has been added for the purpose of replacing the fat of
the cream removed. Both lard and cotton-seed oil have been used
for this purpose. Cheese which has such an addition of foreign fat
is known as "tilled cheese." Such a product well illustrates a form
of adulteration which, although it may not be at all unwholesome, is
fraudulent, and if sold as full cream cheese constitutes a form of
misbranding. Such a sale is unfair to the buyer, aside from the ques-
tion of price. If the cheese is desired for melting, as in making a
Welsh rarebit, or for other use in cooking, the foreign fat or oil of
the filled cheese will separate much more readily than from a genuine
cheese, leaving a gummy mass, instead of melting smoothly as a full
cream cheese will do.

CREAM.

Cream is frequently preserved artificially. This is illegal in most
of the States, but some which prohibit artificial preservatives in milk
permit them in cream. How this position is justified does not appear.
During recent years preparations known as "thickeners" have been
sold to permit dealers to sophisticate their wares. These thickeners

«U. S. Dept. of Agr., Bureau of Chemistry, Bui. 69 Revised, Part I, p. 28.
23468— No. 100—06 4

24 FOOD ADULTP:RATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

ordinarily consist of gelatin, and .sometimes contain boric acid for the
purpose of preserving the cream.

Since in the use of cream the dietetic value of fat is taken into con-
sideration, and especially since it is frequently employed in the
preparation of modified milk for the use of infants, the sale of a
product in which the fat has been largely replaced by gelatin should
be condemned in strong terms.

MILK.

The most serious problem connected with food control is the regu-
lation of the milk supply. A considerable portion of the milk con-
sumed is employed as food for infants and invalids. In such cases it
frequently forms the entire food consumed by an individual. For
that reason, and because of the susceptibility of infants and invalids
to interfering substances, it is imperative that the quality of the milk
supply be carefully guarded.

The addition of preservatives to milk is particularly to be condemned,
partly because of the influences of the preservative itself on the health
of infants and invalids by whom the milk ma}" be used as a food, and
partly because of the less cleanly methods that may be employed in
the preservation of milk when preservatives are used, and of the
increased danger in the consumption of such milk.

The most common adulteration practiced with milk is the addition
of water or the removal of cream. The management of the dairy and
the care of the milk from the time it is received from the cow until it
is delivered to the consumer are attended by great difficulties. If the
milk is to be kept without chemical preservation, absolute cleanliness
and prompt, intelligent care are imperative. This is true at all times
and especially in the summer. The milk must be cooled immediately and
kept cool until its delivery to the consumer, and then delivery must
not be delayed too long. Even after the milk is left at the door of the
consumer considerable annoyance is caused by many who do not take
their milk promptly and place it in the refrigerator. It is frequently
allowed to stand at the door for a considerable time, and then many
cases of spoiling for which the consumer is responsible are attributed
by him to the dairymen.

In order to avoid these inconveniences the use of preservatives with
milk is frequently practiced wherever the enforcement of the food
laws is not rigid. In this connection especially the use of commercial
preservatives represented to be in conformity with the food laws is of
interest (see p. 11).

ADULTERATION <>K DA1KY PKohi < I .

TAIU.K VIII. Ihti,
BUTTER,

Adulterant.

Fxient of adulteration.

Kefereliee.

No samples No.samples

( >ieomargarin ....

67
173
171
342
Frequent
do.

do.

44
7:.
167
LM

50
66

11
44

50
1,033
9

18
14
29
7
41
17
3
2
268
155
1
47
5
38
14
24
10

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., iv.t.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food ('oinin., P.MMI.
Rept. N.J. Dniry and Food ('oinin..
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm.,1901.
Senate Report 516. I'.MM).
Kept. Conn. Agr. Fxpt.Sta., ls'.t7.
Rept. N.C. Sta to Bd.of Agr., 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., is'.t'.i.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Coinin.,1898.
Rept. Wis. Dairy and Food Com in., ivi ., r,.
Rept. 111. Food Comm., 1899-1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd.of Health, I'.HM).
N.J. Food Rept,, 1888.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1888.
Rept. Pa. Dept. of Agr., 1'JOO.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1899.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1899.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. 111. Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Pa. Dept. of Agr., 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt, 3, 1902.
Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1903.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm.. 1901.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Rept. N. H. State Bd. of Health, 1903-4.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.,1901.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 190*2.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

Frequent.

do.
177
68

1,777
•IT,

Frequent.

do.
do.
do.
do.
35
41
147
116
165
142
5
4
406
209
2
342
121
77
45
43 ,
17

Proce*^ butter '

Oleomargarin or renovated butter.
Do

Water and foreign fats

CHEESE.

F\t ruction of fat

Frequent

Rept Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1899.

do.

Rept, Wis. Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.

Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.

Cotton-seed oil

do.

Rept. Ohio Dairv'and Food Comm., 1895.

Rept Wis. Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.

do.

Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm. ,1900.

Bull. 13 Pt. 1, U.'S. Dept. Agr., 1887.

Low in fat content

Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.

106

Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

Bull N C State Bd of Agr., 1903.

Preservatives

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.

Rept Mass State Bd. of Health, 1901.

Preservatives and skimmed milk. .
Not specified

62
24

Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1903.
Rept Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.

CREAM.

Formaldehyde

Preservatives

Borax •_

Alum

Gelatin

Boric acid

Not specified

Do...

Annatto (Creamore)

4
15
10
14
Frequent.

Rare.

do.
17

Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2. 1903.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1903.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm.,1901.
Rept, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, I'.HU.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1VXM.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

TABLE VIII. — Dairy products — Continued.
MILK.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Water or removal of fat

I
16 per cent.

Rept. San Francisco Bd. of Health, 1897-8.
Rept. N. J. Dairy Comm., 1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1893.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1894.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1895.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1896.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1897.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1898.
Rep t. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1899.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1900.
Rept. Wis. Dairy and Food Comm., 1895-6.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Milk Inspector, Providence, R. I.
Rept. Pa. Dept. Agr., 19CO.
Rept. Mass. State Bd.of Health, 1899.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1899.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Rept. N. J. Dairy and Food Comm., 1895-6.
Rept, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1900.
Rept. Pa. Dept. Agr., 1897.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1899.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1899; Ohio
Dairy and Food Comm., 1899.
Bull. 13, Pt. 1, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1887.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1904.
Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Rept, Muss, state Bd. of Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1903.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm.. 1901.
Rept. Kv. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept. Mich. Dairv and Food Comm., 1904.
Rept. Minn. Dairy apd Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. N. H. State Bd. of Health, 1903-4.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm. ,1901.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.
Rept. Ohio I):iirv ami Food Comm.. \W.\.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Pood Coinm., 19M,
Rept. Minn. Dairv and Food Comm. ,1903.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt, 2. 1904.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1902.

49.7 pe
49.5 pe
49.8 pe
35 per
31 pei
d
27 per
28 per
Prec|

d
d
11 per
Ra
d
d
d
(\
d
d
Freq
Ra

d
432

422
496
230
6,109
5, S70

r cent,
r cent,
r cent,
cent,
cent.

cent,
cent,
uent.

0.
0.

cent,
re.

0.
0.
0.
).

uent.
re.

0.
0.

30
1,737
1,914
1,979
56
35
52
95
111
22
132
144
301
302
142

Preservatives

Borax

Do . ...

Do.

Formaldehyde

Carbonate of soda, sodium bicar-
bonate.
Ultramarine

Coloring matter

Artificial coloring matter, pre-
servatives, or water.
Do

Do...

5 793

335
150
584
95
371
110
460
777
1,199

i , 429

172
28
23

Do . .

Do .

Do...

Do....

!><> (milk and cream)

Milk fat deficient a

Skimmed milk "

<>U:<>MAK<;AKIN.

Preservatives and artificial color-
ing matter

Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.

Iti'l'i Kv \-n- F\))i Sta 1902

1B6

10")

Do...

175

170

Kept Ohio Dnirv and Food Comm 1901

300

Kept ( )hio Diiirv and Food Comm 1902

Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm ' 1903

" In samples of condensed milk.
EDIBLE FATS AND OILS.

The substitution for high-priced fats and oils of products of the
same class but of lower commercial value is very common. Of special
interest in this connection is the sale of cotton-seed oil, peanut oil, and
sesame oil for olive oil. Until 1903, when the enforcement of the
imported food law was begun by the Bureau of Chemistry, much of

ADULTERATION OF FATS AND OILS. ^7

the olive oil imported into the country was adulterated byh&frffe \JS
the oils mentioned. This practice has now been practically stopped.
At the same time there is no Federal legislation which prevent* tin-
importation of these oils separately and their mixture in this country,
and to a certain extent this is done. The relative1 dietetic proper! i< -
of the various oils have not been carefully studied, and this form <»f
adulteration is therefore to be condemned, not because of its bearing
on dietetics, but because of its fraudulent nature.

Lard is often mixed with other fats, such as tallow and cotton-seed
oil. Such mixtures are legitimate when sold as compound lard, but
that their sale as lard has been practiced to a considerable extent is
shown by the following table:

TABLE IX.— Edible fat* and oils.
LARD. • '

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated. '

Cotton-seed oil

Very fr<
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
22 per
Very fr<
d
d
d

d
171
134
40
14
23
5
275
32
22
51
1, 175
36

iquent.

0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
3.

cent,
•quent.
t).

60
67
11
1
2
3
73
1
4
30
310
12

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept. N. J. Dairy and Food Comm., 1 w
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. 13, Pt.4, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. of Health, 1899.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1895.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. 13, Pt. 4, Div. Chem.. U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1889.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1903.
Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1903.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

Do.

Beef stearin

Cotton-seed oil and beef stearin. . .
( '< >tt< >n-seed oil

Cotton-seed oil and lard stearin ..
Cotton-seed oil and beef stearin. . .
Cotton-seed oil and tallow .

Not specified

OLIVE OIL.

Cotton-seed oil

Very frequent,
do.
do.
do.
30 per cent.
Very frequent,
do.
5 5
Very frequent.
15 'per cent.

9 per cent.
10 per cent.
21 per cent.
Infrequent,
do.
Rare,
do.
do.

Infrequent,
do.
6 2

Rept. San Francisco Bd. Health, 1897-8.
Rept. Conn, Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Bull. N.C.Bd. Agr., 1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Senate Rept., 561, 1900.
Bull. 129, Cal. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1899.
Rept. Ohio Dairv and Fwd Comm. ,1895.
Rept. Bd. Health, Oakland, Cal. ,1899.
Bull. 77, Bureau Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1903.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Bull. 77, Bureau Chem., U. 8. Dept. Agr.,
1903.
Rept. San Francisco Bd. Health, 1897.
Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1899.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.

Do...

Do..

Do...

Do.

Cotton-seed oil (California)

Cotton-seed oil (French)

Cotton-seed oil (Italian)

Peanut oil

Other seed oils

Corn oil

Sesame oil. ..

Do..

Mustard-seed oil

Poppy-seed oil

Not specified

28 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

The lard sold in tropical and subtropical countries is of a different
nature from that sold in cooler places. It is stated by manufactur-
ers that natural lard is too soft a product for marketing in warm
weather, and that it can be greatly improved in this respect by the
addition of a fat of a firmer nature. For this purpose stearin, that
portion of the ordinary fats which melts at the highest temperature,
is sometimes employed. Stearin is prepared b}r heating fat such as
beef suet or lard to a temperature sufficient to melt a portion of the
product, but insufficient to melt stearin, and then filtering by means of
pressure through bags prepared for that purpose. The stearin which
is not melted is frequently added to the commercial lard for the pur-
pose of making it more firm than it otherwise would be, as stated
above. Less stearin is necessary for this purpose in winter than in
summer, and less in cool climates than in hot. A considerable portion
is employed for lard used in tropical countries. Beef stearin is some-
times employed for this purpose, although lard stearin is f requently
used, especially in the preparation of lard intended for States forbid-
ding the addition of beef fat to lard.

FLAVORING EXTRACTS.

The class of products comprising flavoring extracts is very fre-
quently adulterated. Artificial extracts are commonly sold instead of
those prepared from natural sources, and cheaper products than those
supposed to be used are often employed. For instance, tonka beans
are used instead of vanilla beans in the preparation of supposed vanilla
extract, and artificial vanillin, a coal-tar derivative, is very commonly
employed in the preparation of the cheapest grade of vanilla extract.

Lemon extract, supposed to be manufactured by dissolving lemon
oil in alcohol, may be made from lemon grass. Lemon oil is some-
times treated by distillation with steam, and the nonvolatile portions
employed in the preparation of lemon extracts, while the volatile por-
tions containing the terpenes (an essential characteristic of lemon oil)
of the oil are sold as lemon oil. Practically the same forms of adul-
teration are practiced with other classes of flavoring extracts.

Lemon oil is almost insoluble in water, and a fairly strong alcohol
is required to obtain it in the strength desired for flavoring purposes.
Many manufacturers have unintentionally violated the law by attempt-
ing to dissolve lemon oil in alcohol that is not sufficient!}7 strong.
They frequently Ix-l'icv that their extract is up to the standard when
a- a matter of fact only a small portion of the oil they employ is
<li— olved in the weak alcohol, and the remainder is unintentionally
discarded. A lemon extract having hut a small amount of alcohol
must necessarily have a low percentage of oil of lemon.

ADULTERATION <>F KKl'IT I'RolHVTS.

AHI.K \. -Flaionng extract*.

u MO\ K.\Ti:.\rr.

Fxient «.f adulteration.

Adniterant. Ni, .M1I ,,.s N;;^;i;'i^

examined. ^Jjjf1

KelrlVliee.

Lemon grass Frequent.

Mare cai'Meum etc do.

Foreign coloring matter do.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food ('..IIMM I--.IT

Do do.

Kept <)liio Dairv and Foiul Comm

Do d.>

Kept III Food ( '< mini i

Foreign color and insufficient t.ii " TVS
amount lemon oil.
Do 167 139

Kept. Conn. .\Kr. Kxpt.Stu.. IM.-J.l'.mi.
Kept. M»vs. State lid Health 1901

Do 1 6 1 M

Kept Ma^ State B<l Health I'M)'

Do -J7 19

Kept. Mass. State lid Health l'H);{

Do 159 56

Kept Mich Dairv and Food ( 'oimii 1904

Do ... 4 2

Kept. Minn. Dairv and Food Com in I'WIi

Do ">:{ 3 1

Kept. N II State lid Health 1'tir; i

Do 10 7

Kept. N.D. Agr. Expt Sta I'.HI"

Foreign color . Frequent.

Kept N.D. Agr Expt Sta 190ft

Low in lemon oil Occasional

VANILLA KXTKACT.

Coumariii

Very frequent

Kept Ohio Dairv and Food Comm 1899

Vanillin

do.

Rept.Ohio Dairv and Food Comm *1898

( 'oiunariii

Kept Mass State Bd Health 1900

Do.

do.

Rept.Ohio Dairy and Food Comm lv»7

Coumarin and vanillin

Kept Mich Dairy and Food Comm 1900

Rept. 111. Food Comm. ,1899.

Very frequent

Rept Ohio Dairy and Food Comm 1895

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Ft. 2, 1901.

"S4

Rept Mass State Bd Health 1901

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.

Rept Mass State Bd Health 1903

Rept. N. H. State Bd. Health, 1903-4.

Tonka

Very frequent

Rept Mass State Bd Health 1890.

Artificial extract

Frequent.

Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.

Foreign color

do.

Do.

Low-grade extract of coumarin . . .

Rare.

Do.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Coloring matter and artificial
flavors (strawberry arid rasp-
berry).
Foreign colors, deficiency of oil
(orange).
Cane sugar, cornstarch, conmarin
(powder) .
Only a trace of ginger oil present
(Jamaica ginger).
Artificial preparations and foreign
colors, c
Do

9
4
5
49
12

6
4

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm. .1904.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.

4 labeled " compounds." b 6 labeled "compounds."

FRUIT PRODUCTS.

<• Kind not specified.

The class of goods known as fruit products includes jams, jellies,
marmalades, and dried and preserved fruits of eveiy description.
Glucose is often used as a substitute for cane sugar, and coloring matter
is employed in order that the color of the finished article may stand
for a considerable time on the shelves in the light without deterioration.
Coloring matter is also used with cheap fruits in the preparation of a

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

product supposedly made from more expensive products. For instance,
jellies are sometimes made of glucose and apple juice, the latter having
been prepared from peelings and cores, the by-product of the manu-
facture of dried apples. These jellies may be flavored and colored
to represent the jelly of high-priced fruits, or they ma}7 be sold without
additional flavor and as a low-priced product. Always, however, when
the product of a high-priced fruit is imitated artificial coloring matter
is employed.

Apple juice, as mentioned above, and especially the product obtained
from peelings and cores, is used extensively with the cheaper grades
of jellies where but little fruit is used. With the cheapest grade of
goods, starch is often used as a filler and gelatinizing agent.

Preservatives, such as salicylic acid and benzoic acid, are often
employed with jellies and jams. Their purpose is twofold: First, to
preserve apple juice in barrels until it is desired in the manufacture of
the finished product; second, to prevent molding in the finished article
which is subjected to much less favorable conditions during transpor-
tation on trains and in heated storerooms than is the case of the domes-
tic product, which stands quietly, often in a cool, dark cellar, from the
time it is made until it is used.

The exhausted apple residue from the manufacture of jelly is some-
times used for the preparation of jams, giving to the latter the seeds
and other insoluble material of the fruit supposed to be present, while
the soluble material is frequently made up of glucose. Occasionally
foreign seeds are used for this purpose. Glucose, as has been already
stated, is common!}7 used in the cheaper varieties of fruit products, and
sometimes, though very rarely, saccharin is employed for sweetening.

TABLE XI. — Fruit products.

JAMS.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No.samples
examined.

No.samples
adulter-
ated.

Glucose

47
86

17
86

47
Freq

Occmi

.1
d

i:;
41

lent,

i
tonal.

0.
0.

«26

Bull. 66, Bureau of Chem., U.S. Dept. Agr.,
1902.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta.. 1S98.
Bull. 66, Bureau of Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1902.
i;.'l>t. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Bull. 66, Bureau of Chem., U.S. Dept ACT.,

1902.
Bept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta. , 1898.
Hull. M. Btireaa of Chem., U.S. Dept. Agr.,

1902.
Do.
Senate Kept, ftlfi, pp. 22, M, 1900.
Do.
Boll. 66, Bureau <>f riinn.. I'.s. Dept. Agr.,
1902.
Ki -pt. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2. 1901.

Preservatives

III!

Coloring matter

Apple juice

Saccharin

Organic acids

Artificial flavors

Figs, apple pulp, apple residue,
exhausted pulp.
Glucose, prest-rviitivi-v artificial
colors.

a 10 labeled "compounds."

ADULTERATION OF MEAT PRODI' < TS.

TABLE XI. — Fruit prodticte— Ckmtinued.
JELLIES

AillllliTllIll.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples

examined.

I\>'.-:miples
adulter-
ated.

(illleo-e

"44

32
64
II

13
Occas

44
Occas
16

- .

26
18

42
15

10
11

ml.

7
ioiiul.

1
ional.
5
b'2S

Bull.toi, Bureau of On -in., I'.S. |)ri»t. Agr,
1902.
Kept. Minn. Duirv and Fond ( '0111111.. UNM).
Bept. Conn. Agr. Kxpt.sta., isys.
Bull. GO, Bureau of Chem., U.S. Dept. Agr.,
1902.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Kxpt. Sta., 189*.
Bull. 60, Bureau of Chem.. I'.S. hept. Agr.,
1902.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Kxpt. Sta., 1898.
Bull. 65, Bureau of Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1902.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., iv.iT.
Bull. 66, Bureau of Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1902.
Do.
Senate Kept. 510, pp. 22, 23, 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1899.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Coloring niHttor

Apple juice

Do ...

Starch

Saccharin

( ) ix; 1 1 1 i < • acids

\rtiliciiil flavors

Glucose, starch paste, preserva-
tive, artificial colors.

JELLIES AND JAMS.

Glucose, starch paste, preserva-
tives, artificial colors.

Preservatives

Coal-tar dyes

Saccharin ..

12
103

40
280

11
Frequent.

Rare.

18 Kept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.

125

Kept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Kept. Mich. -Dairy and Food Comm. ,1901.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm. ,1904.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1902.
Bull. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.
Kept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.

Do.

WHOLE FRUITS.

Glucose

Bull. 66, Bureau Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,

Preservatives

1902.
Do.

Coloring matter

Do.

Saccharin

Coal-tar dyes c

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.

«12 labeled " compounds." f>10 labeled " compounds." i-In maraschino cherries.

MEAT PREPARATIONS.

In this class of foods are considered fresh and prepared meat, fish,
crabs, oysters, and similar products. The fresh meats on the market
are rarely subject to adulteration. Packers depend entirely on cold
storage for their preservation, and they are kept at a low temperature,
not only in the packing house, but also in refrigerator cars in transit
and in cold-storage rooms at their destination until immediately before
they go into consumption.

32 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

In fresh moats, however, preservatives are sometimes employed by
retail dealers who have not efficient refrigerator service or who desire
to keep fresh meat for a considerable time on the block. Eor this
purpose powdered preparations of preservatives are emplo3red, and
dusted over the meat from time to time.

All varieties of meat that are sold in a finely comminuted state, such
as chopped meat, Hamburg steak, and sausage, are likely to have a
preservative added in their preparation. By this statement it is not
meant that preservatives are added in all cases. Their use, however,
simplifies the keeping of such preparations and is not unusual. The
preservatives most commonly employed with meat are borax or boric
acid and sulphites. -Oysters, when kept in bulk after shucking, are
also frequently preserved.

It is frequently pointed out by manufacturers that the addition of
preservatives does not restore the fresh character of spoiled meat and
that they can not be used for this purpose. As has been stated above,
however, (p. 14) sometimes meat, especially in a finely comminuted
condition, frequently loses its natural fresh color before there is any
other evidence of deterioration. This color is restored to a certain
extent by the addition of sulphites, and the color is very materially
preserved if sulphites are added at the time of the preparation of
chopped meat. Moreover, manufacturers of chemical preservatives
frequently add a small amount of coal-tar color to preservatives con-
sisting of sulphites intended to be added to meat.

One of the most objectionable forms of adulteration practiced in
connection with meat is the sale of the flesh of immature calves. This
practice is forbidden in practically all of the States, but the enforce-
ment of such laws has sometimes been found very difficult. Particular
difficulty has been experienced in this matter in New York.

TABLE XII. — Meat preparation*.
MEAT CURED.

Kxirut of adulteration.

Adulterant.

sasrhsF1

KHVrenee.

I're-erva t i ve»

(•id 1 ncnl

Hull 13 Pt 10 Hun-Mil ('lirin

V <

Drpt. igt., I'.Hi'j.
Do

•j IM;I; :>n

Kept Minn. Dairy un<l Food Conuu

, I'.HI:',

Horn \ nti'l deeoiiipo^.'d \.
H< «ra te*

FtVij Ueli t

Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm.,
Kept \ D \Lrr Fxpt Sta 1905

1900.

Sulphites

do.

OYSTERS AND I.nHSTKK.

FUh meat etc (in lobster)

•2

Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm 1900

Preservatives

Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.

Bora \

123

Kept N II State 'fid. of Health 1903-4.

Not specified

Kept Ohio Dairy and Food Comm 1901

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.

ADn. n.i; \ n>>\ OF BPK

TAMI.K XII. -.!/.•/// /»/ryi///-.///'»»i/.« • Continued.
POTTED Ml. ATS, PATHS. KTC.

Adulterant.

KxlriiinfjKliiltfriUii.il.
^'•-'''''''•^adun'r''*

examined. a1||1,!,l1ir

Referenee.

Substitution of eheaper varieties
of meat*.

1>0

Frequent.

Bull.ia, Pt. Ill, hureaii Chein.,r.S. D.M.I.
Ajfr.,1902.

Do....

Preservatives

D.>

Bull IS Pt 10 Hiirf'Hii f'h<>ni IT S 1 1, i r

Agr.,1902.

SAUSAGE.

Borio acid . .

ReDt Conn ACT Fxnt Sta. 18Q8

Bull IS Pt 10 RnrpRii Chpni IT Q Tlont

Excess of starch

Agr.,1902.
Rept Conn Agr Expt Sta 1898

Borax

Rept N H State Bd of Health l'MJ3 1

Not specified

Rept Ohio Dairy and Food Coinni 1901

MISCELLANEOUS.

Not specified (in ham)

Not specified (in Hamburger steak)
Preservatives (in fresh meat)

I'rr-ervatives (in soup)

5
3
Rare.

Frequent.

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Coimn., 1902.
Do.

Bull. 13, Pt. 10, Bureau Chem., U.H. Dept,
Agr.,1902.

Unpublished results, Bureau of Chemis-
try.

SPICES.

Spices offer many opportunities for the food adulterator. They are
usually sold after being- ground, and for that reason are easily imi-
tated. Practically all varieties of ground spices are adulterated by
some grinders and in some markets. The products ordinarily used
for the purpose of adulterating spices are cereals and cereal products
(such as ground wheat and Indian corn), ground shells of cocoanuts.
almond shells (sometimes parched), olive pits, and sawdust. The
cheaper varieties of spices are sometimes substituted for the more val-
uable kinds, and stems, husks, etc., may be added. These adulterants
are mainly objectionable because of the fraud connected with their use.
Products are made in imitation of the various spices and sold for
or 5 cents a pound to mixers and others who use them in the prep-
tration of low-grade goods, while the products that they imitate
ire worth from 16 to 60 cents a pound. These articles (enumerated
ibove) have the physical appearance of the spices they are intended to
represent, but are entirely without any spice flavor. They are some-
times colored with coal-tar derivatives, or other coloring matter, for
the purpose of more nearly simulating the spices they are intended to
imitate.

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

Colors, steins, and cocoanut shells are imported into the United
States in considerable quantity for the purpose of adulterating spices.
Bombay mace and wild mace are products belonging to the same class
of plant products as true mace and bear a general resemblance to it,
but they have very little flavoring power, and hence constitute an
adulteration when mixed with it.

TABLE XIII.— Spices.

ALLSPICE.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Cocoanut shells

21
23
4
21
23
10
23
10
23
10
10
10
10
154
23
21
16

28
151
14G
184
2
3
54
4

2
6
3
1
5
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
5
3
11
4
6

8
6

7
9
1
1
4
4

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Do.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Do.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Do.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1904.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Kept. Mass". State Bd. Health, 1902.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1902.

Ground shells .

Clove stems

Cloves

Nutmeg

Wheat

Wheat product

Corn meal

Woody matter

All adulterants

Clove stems, cocoanut shells,
wheat, starchy matter.
Do

Do..

CINNAMON AND CASSIA.

Foreign bark ......................

Foreign woody material ..........

Wood and red sandal wood ........

Woody fiber .......................

Foreign starchy matter ............

Wheat .............................

Wheat (probably biscuit) .........

Bread or crackers .................

Buckwheat ........................

Rice flour or hulls .................

Ginger .............................

Turmeric; ..........................

Charcoal ..........................

Sand ..............................

Sand in excess ....................

(iyji-mn ...........................

All adulterant* ....................

Do .............................

Wheat middlings, cotton -.•,-.]

mi-Mi. ciM-iiaiiui >hrlls and

-tnrrtiy nuitter.n

Do.« ...........................

Do.f« ...........................

Do.a ...........................

Wheat, exhausted ginger, turmer-
ic-. &
Do.b ...........................

Do.6...

215
227

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.

Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.

Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.

Do.

Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., lv< ,.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. stn.. iv.'T.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Rept. Conn. Aft. Kxpt. Sta., 1898.
Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1895.

Do.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. 1895,
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Ki •!•'. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1396.

Do.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. SU., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2. 1904.
K.'i't. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm. ,1901.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.

a In cinnamon only.

&In cassia only.

ADULTERATION OF SPICKS.

TAHLK XIII. — ,v/mr.s— Continued.
CLOVES.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Rrfcn-nrr.

No. samples
examined.

No.samples
adulter-
ated.

Cocofiiiut «hells

37
20
37
20
37
20
37
20
37
11

12
12.
18
8
37
20

43
23
163
196
208
2
79
2

7
1
10
2
2
1
2
3
1
2

11
11
14
1
17
6

6
5
19
31
21
1
32
2

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., l.v.'T.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1-
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta.. lv.<7.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 189*.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., I-
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta.. 1898.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta. ,ls;t7.
Bull 13, I>t. 2, Div. Chem., U. 8. Dept. Agr.,
1887.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. 1895.
Do.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1897.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
21st Ann. Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1897.
22nd Ann. Rept, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta.,
1898.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1901.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1904.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1902.

WlH'Ilt

Wlu'itt <>r starcliv matter

\ Umpire

Starcliv innt U-r

Clove steins

Redwood

Not specified

< 'in -on 11 ut shells

Not specified

Woody matter

All adulterants

Do ...

Clove stems, cocoanut shells,
wheat products, roasted peas,
starchy matter.
Do

GINGER.

Rice middlings

91
4
91
91
91
4
91
91
4
91
7

4
91
234
4
31

253
246
224
89
2

20
1
1
2
1

1
11
1
3
4

2
24
11
3
5

20
17
9
13
2

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Do.
Do.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Do.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Bull. 13, Pt. 2, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1887.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1898.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. lv .">.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Minn. Dairv and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. N. C. State Bd, Agr., 1902.

Rice hulls and rice flour

Corn meal

Wheat

Mustard hulls

Ca venue

Sawdust

Turmeric . .

( i vjKiiin

Not specified

All adulterants

Wheet, rice, dirt, turmeric, buck-
wheat.
Do

Do..

MACE.

Bombay mace, corn starch, cere-
als, turmeric, wild mace.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902*

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.

Rept. Mich. Dairv and Food Comm., 1904.

36 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

TABLE XIII. — s)>/r/>— Continued.
MUSTARD.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No.samplesN°-f»mP]es

™i"-]- Hdater

Mustard cake

35
35
Infre
d
d
d
d
39
36
35
35
36
69
39
36
69
In free
69
39
35
36
69
39
39
35
35
19

326

39
35
36
69
31

14
297
285
250
26
4
79
9
11
11
:>i
1

3
•_>
juent.
o.

0.
0.
0.

17
13
6
3
3
26
10
3
4
luent.
45
15
12
17
7
1
8
2
13
10

38
19
27
54
14

10
84
257
66
15
4
20
3
7
7
15
1

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1897.
Do.
Bull. 51, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr., 1898.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1897.
Do.
Kept. Mich. Dairv and Food Comm., 1900.
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Kept. Mich. Dairv and Food Comm., 1900.
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Bull. 51, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr., 1898.
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Do.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm. ,1895.
Do.
Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1897.
Do.
Bull. 13, Ft. 2, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.
1887.
Kept. Mass. State B J . Health, 1900.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1897.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 18%.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, I'.KI I.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.
Rept. Minn. Dairv and Food Comm., 1901.
Bull. N.C. State Bd. A^r.,1902.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1903.
Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm. ,1900.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

Oil cake

Seeds of radish

Seeds of rape

Seeds of Sinapis arvcnpis

Seeds of cayenne

Seeds of ginger

Wheat flour .

Wheat product

Corn meal

Corn starch ...

Starchy materials

Starch

Lime or plaster

Clay

Turmeric

Martius yellow

Color not specified

Volatile oil removed

Not specified

Starchy materials, mustard hulls,
turmeric.
All adulterants

Wheat, corn flour, plaster, turmer-
ic, starchy matter.
Do

Not specified

NUTMEGS.

Wheat

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.

PAPRIKA.

Foreign March

Rept Mara State Bd Health 1900

•KITKK.

Huek wheat (flour or hulls)

102

I |

Hull 123 Conn Agr Mxpt Sta 1896

1 >' i

Kept iihin !>!iirv and Food ('mum 1895

Wheat

](•••

Hull 1":; Conn \i:r Expt. Sta., 1896

1,1 1

Kept Midi Dairv and Food Coin m 1900

Wheat product

Kept <>hi<> Diiirv and Food Cmniii !>'.*."..

< iraiii hulls

102

Bull 1":', Conn \gr Fxpt Sta 18%

Kept Mi.-li Dairv' and Food Comm., 1900.

Kiee product

Kept Ohio Dairv and Food Comm. ,1895.

Corn meal . . .

Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1897.

ADULTERATION <>K src.SK l'R<>l>r<TS.

TAMI.K XI 11. .S'ymrx Continued.
PEPPER— Continued,

Fxteiit of adulteration.

Adulterant

Sago ,

Farinaceous matter
Cocoannt shells

Cayenne

Do.

Ginger, pepper shells, olive Mono.
Ked -a U dust

Foreign hulls

No. samples
examined.

D..

Charred matter

Sand in excess

Turmeric-

Coloring matter

Not specified

All adulterants

Qinger, pepper shells, olive stones,
buckwheat.

Wheat, cocoanut shells, mustard
hulls, corn meal.«

Corn meal, wheat, buckwheat mid-
dlings.^

Do.''

Do. '>

Plaster, wheat, corn meal, coal-tar
dye. dirt, ginger, pepper shells,
olive stones, s wdust.c

Do.c

Do.c...

Do. c

Red sandalwood c

Red woody matter c

Starchy matter (wheat) <•

Starchy matter (corn) c

Buckwheat c

Red dye c

Aniline dyest nil's <•

All adulterants «•

Do.c

Do.c...

No. samples
adulter-

ated.

26
102
102
26
102
26
66
415
66
66
102
26
L02
66
26
66
57
14
102
415
129

217
51

58
62
17

28
15
20

66
. 39
61
17
27
129
30
30
30
30
30
30
28
30
28
6

Ken '•

Rent. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., L895,
Bull. 128, Conn. Agr. Kxpt.stu.. LiM,

I )( >.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Com in.. lvi:>.
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta.. IS'.H;.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and F ..... 1 Coiiini.. 1996,
Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1897.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Kept. Midi. Dairy and F ..... 1 Comm.. 1900.

Do.

Bull. 12:5, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 18%.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. lx> •
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1896.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. 1896,
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1«97.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., is-.ts.
Bull. 13, Pt.2, Div.Chem:, U.S. Dcpt. Agr.
Bull. 123, Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1«%.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.

Rept. Minn. Dairv and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1904.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., I't. 2, 1901.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health. 1904.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1904.
Rept. Mich. Dairv and Food Comm.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm.
Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt, Sta., 1897.

Do.

Do.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.

1901.
1904.

Rept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1X97.
Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Bull. 13, Pt. 2, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept.

1887.

Agr.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Not specified . .

11 Rept Ky Agr Expt Sta 1900

Do...

1 690

383 Rept Minn Dairv and Food Comm

1903

5 Rept N H State Bd Health 1903-4

Frequent

Kept N" I) Agr Expt Sta 1906

Coal-tar colors

Rare

Deficient in volatile oils.

a In black pepper.

?' In white pepper.

c In cayenne.

SUGARS, SIRUPS, ETC.

As a class the sugars, both high and low grades, as found on the
market are practically free from adulteration. During recent years,
however, a product has been put on the market to a limited extent
which consists of a mixture of cane sugar with starch sugar (glucose)

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

and saccharin, the latter being an artificial sweetening material derived
from coal tar. There is a popular belief that granulated sugar is often
adulterated with white sand or pulverized rock, and that pulverized
sugar is commonly adulterated with starch or lime dust. Cases of
such adulteration, however, have never been found by this Bureau,
and it may safely be said that they occur rarety if at all.

Considering the obvious simplicity of a method of determining the
presence of such a substance, it is strange that the idea that material
of this nature commonly occurs in sugar should be as prevalent as it
is. Sugar is readily soluble in water, and sand and mineral substances
insoluble. If a spoonful of sugar be placed in a glass of water, there-
fore, and the mixture stirred, solution will be complete. The sub-
stances mentioned above, if present, would remain undissolved. Of
course solution will occur more readily if the water is warm, and care
must be taken to continue the mixing for a considerable time. A
sample of granulated or powdered sugar, suspected of being adulter-
ated with sand or pulverized rock, may, therefore, be readily exam-
ined by anyone who is interested.

TABLE XIV. — Sugar produdx, sirups, etc.
CONFECTIONERY.

Adulterant.

Extent of adulteration.

Reference.

No. samples
examined.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Glucose

250

250
250
250
250
250
250
8
17
Freq
:,»;
31
68
28
3
19
Yerv fr

173

72
218
2
14
4
2
5
13
lent.
1
1
16
18
2
14
jquent.

Bull. 13, Pt. 6, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr.,
1892.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1897.

Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1902.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1902.
Kept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.

Starch and gum

Organic colors

Mineral colors

Grease ....

Copper

Gelatin

Colors (organic)

Artificial flavors

Iron oxid

Decomposed peppermint oil
Coal-tar dyes

Do. . ..

Not specified

Coal-tar dyes

HONEY.

Glucose

40Q

127

Bull 13 Pt 6 Div Chem U S Dept Agr

Do.

1 s'.''J.
Kept M;i^- <tate 1M Health IN* ill

Do....

Kept M.-I-- Stair H.I Health IS'H

Kept ( >h i<> I )a irv a n«l Food Comm IS'ts

Kept. 111. Dairy and Food Comm. 1500.

Do..

Rept Mich Dairy and Food Comm 1900

i;s

lil

Rept Minn Dairy and Food Comm 1900

I X>

400

Bull 13 Pt 6 Div Chem U S Dept Agr

Glucose or cane sugar

1892.
Rept Mass State Bd. Health 1900

Glucose and cane sugar

Rept Mass State Bd Health 1901

1 ;

K, |,| M'i^ <tMle Hd "(>alth 1902

Rept Mass State Bd Health 1903

Rept Mieh D'lirvand Food Comm 1904

Do...

114

Rept Minn Dairy and Food Comm 1903

Do.

Bull N C State Bd Apr 1902

•>

ADULTERATION OF SUGAR PRODUCTS.

TABLK XIV. — Mii/ar /*/Wm-/.s. N//V//I.S, r/r.
MAI'l.K I'KODrC'l -

Adulterant.

Kxtontof a<

No. samples
examined.

lulteratioii.

No. samples
adulter-
ated.

Efeforenee.

Sugars:

i 'a ne sugar

18
20
13
37

8
24
15
15
21
24
15
15
57
82
28
3
66
55
129
Freq

4
2
4
3

3
1
1
3
13
9
3
2
14
8
5
3
7
10
102
uent.

Kept.: Mass. Slate H.I. Health, I-.MI.
Kept. Mass. State Hd. Health, 1901.
Kept .Ma-s. State lid. Health, 19011.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.

Bull. 13, Pt. 6, Div. Chem., IT. S. Dept. Agr.,
1892.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1899.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., iw
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., lH«jr>.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1899.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1898.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1895.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Bull. N. C. State Bd. Agr., 1902.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Kept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.

Brown or molasses sugar

Cane sugar

Not specified

Sirup:
Glucose

Do ...

Cane sugar

Do a

Glucose and cane sugar

Water

Not specified

Not properly labeled a

MOLASSES.

Glucose b

394

91
17
6
20
86
8
231
384
414
419
93
146
107
15
13
51
13
17
307

167

6
10
4
13
12
1
25
66
15
8
22
13
4
5
8
16
8
1
103

Bull. 13, Pt. 6, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept. Agr. ,
1892.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1890.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Do.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1900.
Do.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1901.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 3, 1902.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1903.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta., Pt. 2, 1904.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1903.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1903.
Kept. N. H. State Bd. Health, 1903-1.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm.. 1895.
Bull. 13, Pt. 6, Div. Chem., U. S. Dept., Agr.,
1892.

Do. &

Do b

Do. ft

Do b

Do.&

Do b

Do...

Do.. ..

Do... .

Do...

Tin

Do...

SIRUPS (TABLE).

Glucose

13
10
7
44
Ra
Freq
10
19

7
10
5
18
re.
lent.
10
8

Rept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.
Rept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1904.
Rept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Rept. N. D. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1905.
Do.
Rept. N.C. State Bd. Agr., 1902.
Rept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1902.

Do..

Do. a

Cane sugar"

Glucose and molasses . .

Not specified

a Sirups and sugars.

bin molasses and sirups.

FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

VINEGAR.

Vinegar in the United States is understood to be the product of the
acetic fermentation of apple juice without any other addition what-
ever. In France vinegar is understood to be the product of the acetic
fermentation of wine.

Several other classes of vinegar are made in considerable amount.
Malt vinegar, prepared by the acetic fermentation of an infusion of
malt, is made in large quantities in the United States and in England.
Large quantities of distilled vinegar are made by the acetic fermenta-
tion of alcohol. This product is made in considerable quantity by
distilleries, and is frequently sold incorrectly as white-wine vinegar.

The chief frauds practiced in the sale of vinegar are, first, the dilu-
tion of cider vinegar and wine vinegar; second, the adulteration of
those vinegars with vinegars of the cheaper sorts, such as distilled
vinegar; third, the sale of distilled vinegar as cider vinegar or wine
vinegar, with or without the addition of coloring matter and other
substances to make it resemble those products.

TAMI.K XV. — I'/ini/ur.
CIDKK VINKUAK.

Adulterant.

Fxtent of adulteration.

Reference.

No.flamplee

examined.

No.sampio
adulter-
ated.

Spirit vinegar and caramel

Fret)
d
Very 1'r
d
d
d
d
d
d
463
40
99
126
71
1,080
2,977
68
106
270

77
70
38
•ll.s p.

Very fi

uent.

equent.

i.
o.

0.
0.
).
0.

83
2:5
53
59
66
188
1,817
39
47
178

7
r cent

quent.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Connn., 1 v.~>.
Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1899.
Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. N. Y. Dairy and Food Comm., lw
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm., 1(.H)1.
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. StA., 1897.
Kept. Bd. Health, Oakland. Cal.. iv.i-.t.
Kept. San Francisco Bd. Health. 1S97-S.
Kept. Wis. Dairy and Food Comm., is'.r..
Kept. Conn. Agr. Expt. Sta.. Pt.2, 1903.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1901.
Kept. Mass. State .Mil. Health, 1903.
Kept. Ky. Agr. Expt. Sta., 1900.
Kept. Mich. Dairv and Food Comm., 1904.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm.. I'.MH,
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food (\>mm..l«.H):{.
Kept- N. H.State'Bd. Health. P.HK5-J.
Kent. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1900.
Kept. Mass. State Bd. Health, 1902.

Kept. Mich. Dairy and Food Comm., 1901.

Kept. Ohio Dairv and Food Comm., 1901.
Kept. Ohio Dairv mid Food Comm.. 1902.
Kept. Pa. Dept. Agr., 1900.
Kept. Ma-. State Bd. Health, 1S99.
Kept. Pa. Dept. Agr.. ivv

Do . ...

|),>

I'M

LM\\ in aeet ic acid ....

Do.

Do...

Artificial product* and low in
act-tic acid.
Low in acetic acid and not prod-
uct represented.

Nut -peeilied

Do . .

S|.irit vinegar and apple jellv
solids.

MALT VINK«, \K.

Spirit vinegar

D..

Do...

Frequent. Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm., 1895,

d... Kept. San Francisco Bd. Health. 1S97-S.

do. Kept. 111. State Foo,', Comm., 1900.

WINK \ INKfJAK.

Spirit vinegar

Do...

Freuncnt.

da
do.

Kept. Ohio Dairy and Food Comm. ,1897.

Kepi. San Francisco Bd. Health. 1897-8.
Kept. Minn. Dairy and Food Comm.. 1901
Bull. N.C. State Bd. Agr.. 1900.

MKTHODS <>K ANALYSIS. 41

SIMPLE TESTS FOR THE DETECTION OF FOOD ADULTERANTS.

INTRODUCTION.

Generally speaking, the methods of chemical analysis employed in
food laboratories <*an he manipulated only by one wlio has had at leaM
the usual college course in chemistry, and ->ome special training in the
examination of foods is almost as necessary. Again, mo^t of the
apparatus and chemicals necessary are entirely beyond the reach of
the home, and the time consumed by the ordinary examination of a
food is in itself prohibitive.

Vet there are some simple tests which serve to point out certain
forms of adulteration and can be employed by the careful housewife
with the reagents in her medicine closet and the apparatus in her
kitchen. The number may be greatly extended by the purchase of a
very few articles that m&y be procured for a few cents at any drug-
store. In apphring these tests, one general rule must always be kept
carefully in mind. Every one, whether layman or chemist, must
familiarize himself with a reaction before drawing any conclusions
from it. For instance, before testing a sample of supposed coffee for
starch, the method should be applied to a sample of pure coffee (which
can always be procured unground) and to a mixture of pure coffee and
starch prepared by the operator.

Many manufacturers and dealers in foods have the ordinary son-e-
so highly developed that by their aid alone they can form an intelli-
gent opinion of the nature of a product, or of the character, and
sometimes even of the proportion, of adulterants present. This is
especially true of such articles as coffee, wine, salad oils, flavoring
extracts, butter, and milk. The housewife finds herself constantly
submitting her purchases to this test. Her broad experience develop*
her senses of taste and smell to a high degree, and her discrimination
is often sharper and more accurate than she herself realizes. The
manufacturer who has developed his natural senses most highly
appreciates best the assistance or collaboration of the chemist, who
can often come to his relief when his own powers do not avail. So
the housewife, \>y a few simple chemical tests, can broaden her Held
of vision and detect many impurities that are not evident to the sen-« -.

There are here given methods adapted to this purpose, which may
be applied to milk, butter, coffee, spices, olive oil, vinegar, jams and
jellies, and flavoring extracts. In addition to this some general meth-
ods for the detection of coloring matter and preservatives will be
given. All of the tests here described may be performed with uten-
sils found in any well-appointed kitchen. It will be convenient, how-'
ever, to secure a small glass funnel, about 3 inches in diameter, since
filtration is directed in a number of the methods prescribed. Filter
paper can best be prepared for the funnel by cutting a circular piece

42 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

about the proper size and folding it once through the middle and then
again at right angles to the first fold. The paper may then be opened
without unfolding in such a way that three thicknesses lie together on
one side and only one thickness on the other. In this way the paper
may be made to fit nicely into the funnel.

Some additional apparatus, such as test tubes, racks for supporting
them, and glass rods, will be found more convenient for one who
desires to do considerable work on this subject, but can be dispensed
with. The most convenient size for test tubes is a diameter of from
one-half to five-eighths inch and a length of from 5 to 6 inches. A
graduated cylinder will also be found very convenient. If this is
graduated according to the metric system, a cylinder containing about
100 cc will be found to be convenient; if the English liquid measure
is used it may be graduated to from 3 to 8 ounces.

CHEMICAL REAGENTS.

The word " reagent" is applied to "any substance used to eifect
chemical change in another substance for the purpose of identifying
its component parts or determining its percentage composition." The
following reagents are required in the methods here given:

Turmeric paper.

Iron alum (crystal or powdered form).

Hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) concentrated.

" CAUTION. — All tests in which hydrochloric acid is used should be conducted in glass or
earthen ware, for this acid attacks and will injure metallic vessels, such as iron, tin, zinc,
etc. Care must also be taken not to bring it into contact with the flesh or clothes. If l>;i
accident a drop of it falls upon the clothes, ammonia, or in its absence a solution of saleratus
or sal soda (washing soda), in water, should be applied promptly.

lodin, tincture.

Potassium permanganate, 1 per cent solution.

Alcohol (grain alcohol).

Chloroform.

Boric acid or borax.

Ammonia water.

Halphen's reagent.

With the exception of the last reagent mentioned, these substances
may be obtained in any pharmacy. The Halphen reagent should In-
prepared by a druggist rather than by an inexperienced person who
desires to use it. This is especially important because of the inflam-
mable nature of carbon bisulphid which enters into its composition.

CAUTION. — Carbon bisidphid is a very inflammable substance and is at least as danger-
ous to handle as gasoline. For this reason the Halphen reagent, into the composition of
n'hii-h carbon bisulphid enters, must be handled with care, and only a small portion of it
taken into the vicinity of the fire. When it is employed the end of the test tube may be
loosely stoppered n-ltfi mlton. Tin- carbon Insulphid in the amount of reagent used for a
single test, hmverer, is so small as not to cause ami fxirtinilar danger in its use.

PRESERVATIVES. 4,'*

Halphen's reagent is prepared as follows: An approximately 1 per
cent solution of sulphur is made by dissolving about one third of a
teaspoonful of precipitated sulphur in 3 or 4 ounces of carbon bisul-
phid. This solution mixed with an equal volume of simyl alcohol
forms the reagent required by the method. A smaller quantity than
that indicated by these directions may of course be prepared.

1 f turmeric paper be not available it may be made as follows: Place
a bit of turmeric powder (obtainable at any drug store) in alcohol,
allow it to stand for a few minutes, stir, allow it to stand again until
it settles, dip a strip of filter paper into the solution, and dry it.

DETERMINATION OF PRESERVATIVES.

The following methods cover all of the more important commercial
preservatives with the exception of sulphites and fluorids. These are
quite frequently used for preserving foods — the former with meat
products and the latter with fruit products — but, unfortunately, the
methods for their detection are not suitable for household use.

DETECTION OF SALICYLIC ACID.

The determination of salicylic acid can best be made with liquids.
Solid and semi-solid foods, such as jelly, should be dissolved, when
soluble, in sufficient water to make them thinly liquid. Foods con-
taining insoluble matter, such as jam, marmalade, and sausage, may
be macerated with water and strained through a piece of white cotton
cloth. The maceration may be performed by rubbing in a teacup or
other convenient vessel with a heavy spoon.

Salicylic acid is used for preserving fruit products of all kinds,
including beverages. It is frequently sold by drug stores as fruit
acid. Preserving powders consisting entirely of salicylic acid are
often carried from house to house by agents. It may be detected as
follows:

Between 2 and 3 ounces of the liquid obtained from the fruit prod-
ucts, as described above, are placed in a narrow bottle holding 5 ounces,
about a quarter of a teaspoonful of cream of tartar (or, better, a few
drops of sulphuric acid) is added, the mixture shaken for two or three
minutes, and filtered into a second small bottle. Three or four table-
spoonfuls of chloroform are added to the clear liquid in the second
bottle and the liquids mixed by a somewhat vigorous rotary motion,
poured into an ordinary glass tumbler, and allowed to stand till the
chloroform settles out in the bottom. Shaking is avoided, as it causes
an emulsion which is difficult to break up. As much as possible of
the chloroform layer (which now contains the salicylic acid) is removed
(without any admixture of the aqueous liquid) by means of a medicine
dropper and placed in a test tube or small bottle with about an equal

44 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

amount of water and a small fragment — a little larger than a pinhead—
of iron alum. The mixture is thoroughly shaken and allowed to stand
till the chloroform again settles to the bottom. The presence of
salicylic acid is then indicated by the purple color of the upper layer
of liquid.

DETECTION OF BENZOIC ACID.

Benzoic acid also is used for preserving fruit products. Extract
the sample with chloroform as in the case of salicylic acid; remove the
chloroform layer and place it in a white saucer, or, better, in a plain
glass sauce dish. Set a basin of water — as warm as the hand can
bear — on the outside window ledge and place the dish containing the
chloroform extract in it, closing the window until the chloroform has
completely evaporated. In this manner the operation may be con-
ducted with safety even by one who is not accustomed to handling
chloroform. In warm weather the vessel of warm water may, of
course, be omitted. Benzoic acid, if present in considerable amount,
will now appear in the dish in characteristic flat crystals. On warm-
ing the dish the unmistakable irritating odor of benzoic acid may be
obtained. This method will detect benzoic acid in tomato catsup or
other articles in which it is used in large quantities. It is not suffi-
ciently delicate, however, for the smaller amount used with some
articles, such as wine. It is often convenient to extract a larger
quantity of the sample and divide the chloroform layer into two
portions, testing one for salicylic acid and the other for benzoic acid.

DKTKCTION OF BORIC ACID AND BORAX.

Boric acid (also called boracic acid) and its compound with sodium
(borax) are often used to preserve animal products, such as sausage,
butter, and sometimes milk. For the detection of boric acid and
borax, solids should be macerated with a small amount of water and
strained through a white cotton cloth. The liquid obtained by treat-
ing solids in this manner is clarified somewhat by thoroughly chilling
and filtering through filter paper.

In testing butter place a heaping teaspoonful of the sample in a tea-
cup. a<l<l a couple of teaspoonfuls of hot water, and stand the cup in a
vessel containing a little hot water until the butter is thoroughly,
melted. Mix the contents of the cup well by stirring with a teaspoon
and set. the cup with the spoon in it in a cold place until the butter is
solid. The spoon with the butter (which adheres to it) is now removed
from the cup and the turbid liquid remaining strained through a white
cotton cloth, or better, through tiller paper. The liquid will not all
pass through the cloth or filter paper, but a sufficient amount for the
test may be secured readily.

In testing milk for boric acid '2 or :•> tablespoonfuls of milk are
placed in a bottle with twice that amount of a solution of a teaspoonful

AKTIFH'IAL COLORS. 45

of alum in a pint of water. >haken vigorously, and tillered t li rough
filter paper. Here sixain a dear or only slightly turbid li(|uid passes
through the paper.

About a teaspoouful of the liquid obtained by any one of the method^
mentioned above is placed in any dish, not metal, and :> drops of hydro-
chloric (muriatic) acid added. A strip of turmeric pa pel- is now dipped
into the liquid and then held in a warm place near a stove or lamp
till dry. If boric acid or borax was present in the sample the turmeric
paper becomes bright cherry red when dry. A drop of household
ammonia changes the red color to dark green or greenish black. If
too much hydrochloric acid is used the turmeric paper may take on a
brownish red color even in the absence of boric acid. In this case,
however, ammonia changes the color to brown just as it does turmeric
paper which has not been dipped into the acid solution.

DETECTION OF FORMALDEHYDE.

Formaldehyde is rarely used with other foods than milk. The
method for its detection in milk is given on page 5^. For its detec-
tion in other foods it is usually necessary to first separate it by distil-
lation, a process which is scarcely available for the average peison
without laboratory training and special apparatus. For this reason
no method is suggested here for the detection of formaldehyde in
other foods than milk.

DETECTION OF SACCHARIN.

Saccharin has a certain preservative power, but it is used not so
much for this effect as because of the very sweet taste whix'h it imparts.
It is extracted by means of chloroform, as described under the detec-
tion of salicylic acid (p. 43). In the case of solid and semisolid foods,
the sample must, of course, be prepared by extraction with water, as
described under salicylic acid. The residue left after the evaporation
of the chloroform, if a considerable amount of saccharin is present,
has a distinctly sweet taste.

The only other substance having a sweet taste which may be present
in foods, i. e., sugar, is not soluble in chloroform, and therefore does
not interfere with this reaction. Certain other bodies (tannins) which
have an astringent taste are present, and as they are soluble in chloro-
form ma}T sometimes mask the test for saccharin, but with practice
this difficulty is obviated.

DETERMINATION OF ARTIFICIAL COLORS.
DETECTION OF COAL-TAR DYI->.

As has been stated, coloring matters used with foods are usually
soluble in water. If the food under examination be a liquid, it may
therefore be treated directly by the method given below. If it be a

46 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

solid or a pasty substance, soluble in water either in the cold or after
heating, it may be dissolved in sufficient water to form a thin liquid.
If it contains some insoluble material, it may be treated with sufficient
water to dissolve the soluble portion with the formation of a thin
liquid and filtered, and then strained through a clean white cotton
cloth to separate the insoluble portion. About a half teacupful of
the liquid thus described is heated to boiling, after adding a few drops
of hydrochloric acid and a small piece of white woolen cloth or a few
strands of white woolen yarn. (Before using, the wool should be boiled
with water containing a little soda, to remove any fat it may contain,
and then washed with water.) The wool is again washed, first with
hot and then with cold water, the water pressed out as completely as
possible, and the color of the fabric noted. If no marked color is pro-
duced, the test may be discontinued and the product considered free
from artificial colors. If the fabric is colored, it may have taken up
coal-tar colors, some foreign vegetable colors, and if a fruit product
is being examined, some of the natural coloring matter of the fruit.
Rinse the fabric in hot water, and then boil for two or three minutes
in about one- third of a teacupful of water and two or three teaspoon-
fuls of household ammonia. Remove and free from as much of the
liquid as possible by squeezing or wringing. Usually the fabric will
retain the greater part of the natural fruit color, while the coal-tar
color dissolves in dilute ammonia. The liquid is then stirred with a
splinter of wood and hydrochloric acid added, a drop or two at a time,
until there is no longer any odor of ammonia. (The atmosphere of the
vessel is sometimes charged with the ammonia for several minutes after
it has all been driven out of the liquid; therefore one should blow into
the dish to remove this air before deciding whether the ammonia odor
has been removed or not.) When enough acid has been added the
liquid has a sour taste, as may be determined by touching the splinter,
used in stirring, to the tongue.

A fresh piece of white woolen cloth is boiled in this liquid and
thoroughly washed. If this piece of cloth has a distinct color the food
under examination is artificially colored. The color used may have
been a coal-tar derivative, commonly called an anilin dye, or an arti-
ficial color chemically prepared from some vegetable color. If of the
first class the dyed fabric is usually turned purple or blue by ammonia.
In either case if the second fabric has ;i distinct color it is evident that
the product under examination is artificially colored. Of course a
dull, faint tint must be disregarded.

DETECTION OF COPPER.

The presence of copper, often used to deepen the green tint of

imported canned peas, beans, spinach, etc., may be detected as follows:

Mash some of the sample in a dish with a stiff kitchen spoon, Place

ARTIFICIAL COLORS. 47

a teaspoonful of the pulp in a teacup with three teaspoonl'uls of water
and add 30 drops of strong hydrochloric acid with a medicine dropper.
Set the cup on the stove in a saucepan containing boiling water. Prop
a bright iron brad or nail (wire nails are the best and tin carpet tacks
will not answer the purpose) into the cup and keep the water in the
saucepan boiling for twenty minutes, stirring the contents of the cup
frequently with a splinter of wood. Pour out the contents of the cup
and examine the nail. If present in an appreciable amount the nail
will be heavily plated with copper.

CAUTION. — Be careful not to allow the hydrochloric acid to come in contact with metal*
or with the flesh or clothing.

DETECTION OF TURMERIC.

In yellow spices, especially mustard and mace, turmeric is often
employed. This is especially true of prepared mustard to which a
sufficient amount of starch adulterant has been added to materially
reduce the natural color. If turmeric be employed to restore the
normal shade an indication of that fact may sometimes be obtained by
mixing a half teaspoonful of the sample in a white china dish and
mixing with it an equal amount of water, and a few drops (4 to 10) of
household ammonia, when a marked brown color, which does not
appear in the absence of turmeric, is formed. At the present time
turmeric or a solution of curcuma (the coloring matter of turmeric) is
sometimes added to adulterated mustard in sufficient amount to materi-
al^ increase its color, but not to a sufficient extent to give the brown
appearance with ammonia described above. In such cases a teaspoon-
ful of the suspected sample may be thoroughly stirred with a couple
of tablespoonfuls of alcohol, the mixture allowed to settle for fifteen
minutes or more and the upper liquid poured off into a clean glass or
bottle. To about 1 tablespoonful of the liquid thus prepared and
placed in a small clear dish (a glass salt cellar serves excellently) add
4 or 5 drops of a concentrated solution of boric acid or borax and
about 10 drops of hydrochloric acid,a and mix the solution by stirring
with a splinter of wood. A wedge-shaped strip of filter paper about
2 or 3 inches long, 1 inch wide at the upper end, and one-fourth inch
at the lower end is then suspended by pinning, so that its narrow end
is immersed in the solution, and is allowed to stand for a couple of
hours. The best results are obtained if the paper is so suspended that
air can circulate freely around it, i. e. , not allowing it to touch any-
thing except the pin and the liquid in the dish. If turmeric be pres-
ent a cherry red color forms on the filter paper a short distance below
the upper limit to which the liquid is absorbed by the paper, frequently
from three-fourths of an inch to an inch above the surface of the

« Caution: See page 52.

48 FOOD ADULTEKATION AND METHODS FOE DETECTION.

liquid itself. A drop of household ammonia changes this red color to
a dark green, almost black. If too much hydrochloric acid is used a
dirty brownish color is produced.

DETECTION OF CARAMEL.

A solution of caramel is used to color many substances, such as vin-
egar and some distilled liquors. To detect it two test tubes or small
bottles of about equal size and shape should be employed and an equal
amount (2 or 3 tablespoonf uls or more) of the suspected sample placed
in each. To one of these bottles is added a teaspoonful of fullers'
earth, the sample shaken vigorously for two or three minutes and
then filtered through filter paper, the first portion of the filtered liquid
being returned to the filter paper and the sample finally collected into
the test tube or bottle in which it was originall}T placed, or a similar
one. The filtered liquid is now compared with the untreated sample.
If it is markedly lighter in color it may be taken for granted that the
color of the liquid is due to caramel, which is largely removed by
fullers' earth. In applying this test, however, it must be borne in
mind that caramel occurs naturally in malt vinegar, being formed in
the preparation of the malt. It is evident that the tests require prac-
tice and experience before they can be successfully performed. The
housewife can use them, but must repeat them frequent^ in order to
become proficient in their use.

EXAMINATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF FOODS.
CANNED VEGETABLES.

As before stated, canned vegetables are relatively free from adul-
teration by means of foreign subrtances. The different grades of
products may with care be readily detected by the general appearance
of the sample. The purchaser is, of course, at the disadvantage of
not being able to see the product until the can is opened. By a study
of the different brands available in the vicinity, however, he can read-
ily select those which are preferable. As stated in an earlier part of
the bulletin, canned tomatoes sometimes contain an artificial coloring
matter, which may be detected as described on page 45.

Canned sweet corn is sometimes sweetened with saccharin, which
may be detected as described on page 45.

It is believed that as a rule canned vegetables are free from pre-
servatives, although some instances of chemical preservation have
recently been reported in North Dakota, and some imported tomatoes
have been found by this Bureau to be artificially preserved. The
presence of copper, often used for the artificial greening of imported
canned peas, beans, spinach, etc., may be detected as described on
page 46.

EXAMINATION <>K COFFKK. 49

QOFFBJB,

There are :i number of simple tests for I lie presence of the adulter-
ants of ground coffee. These tests are called simple heeaii-e they can
be performed without the facilities of the chemical laboratory, and by
one who has not had the experience and training of a chemist. It must
be understood, however, that they require careful observation and
study, and that one must perform them repeatedly in order to obtain
reliable results. Before applying them to the examination of an
unknown sample, samples of known character should be secured and
studied. Unground coffee may be ground in the home and mixed u ith
various kinds of adulterants, which can also be secured separately.
Thus the articles themselves in known mixtures may be studied and
when the same results are obtained with unknown samples they can be
correctly interpreted. Thes^ tests are well known in the laboratory
and may be used in the home of the careful housewife who has the
time and perseverance to master them.

PHYSICAL TESTS.

The difference between the genuine ground coffee and the adulter-
ated article can often be detected by simple inspection with the naked
eye. This is particularly true if the product be coarsely crushed rather
than finely ground. In such condition pure coffee has a quite uniform
appearance, whereas the mixtures of peas, beans, cereals, chicory, etc.,
often disclose their heterogeneous nature to the careful observer. This
is particularly true if a magnifying glass be employed. The different
articles composing the mixture may then be separated by the point of
a penknife. The dark, gummy-looking chicory particles stand out in
strong contrast to the other substances used, and their nature can be
determined by one who is familiar with them by their astringent taste.

The appearance of the coffee particles is also quite distinct from that
of many of the coffee substitutes employed. The coffee has a dull sur-
face, whereas some of its substitutes, especially leguminous products,
often present the appearance of having a polished surface.

After a careful inspection of the sample with the naked eye, or, bet-
ter, with a magnifying glass, a portion of it may be placed in a small
bottle half full of water and shaken. The bottle is then placed on the
table for a moment. Pure coffee contains a large amount of oil, by
reason of which the greater portion of the sample will float. All cof-
fee substitutes and some particles of coffee sink to the bottom of the
liquid. A fair idea of the purity of the sample can often be deter-
mined by the proportion of the sample which floats or sinks.

Chicory contains a substance which dissolves in water, imparting a
brownish-red color. When the suspected sample, therefore, is dropped
into a glass of water, the grains of chicory which it contains may be

50 FOOD ADULTERATION" AND METHODS FOB DETECTION.

seen slowly sinking to the bottom, leaving a train of a dark-brown col-
ored liquid behind them. This test appears to lead to more errors in
the hands of inexperienced operators than an}r other test here given.
Wrong conclusions may be avoided by working first with known
samples of coffee and chicory as suggested above.

Many coffee substitutes are now sold as such and are advertised as
more wholesome than coffee. Notwithstanding the claims that are made
for them, a few of them contain a considerable percentage of coffee.
This may be determined by shaking a teaspoon ful in a bottle half full
of water, as described above. The bottle must be thoroughly shaken
so as to wet every particle of the sample. Very few particles of coffee
substitutes will float.

CHEMICAL TESTS.

Coffee contains no starch, while all of the substances, except chic-
ory, used for its adulteration and in the preparation of coffee substi-
tutes contain a considerable amount of starch. The presence of such
substitutes may, therefore, be detected by applying the test for starch
as given on page 58. In making this test less than a quarter of a tea-
spoonful of ground coffee should be used, or a portion of the ordinary
infusion prepared for the table may be employed after dilution. The
amount of water that should be added can only be determined by
experience.

CONDIMENTAL SAUCES.

Tomato catsup and other condimental sauces are frequently pre-
served and colored artificially. The preservatives employed are usually
salicylic acid and benzoic acid or their sodium salts. These products
may be detected by the methods given on pages 43 and 44.

Coal-tar colors are frequently employed with this class of goods,
especially with those of a reddish tint, like tomato catsup. They may
be detected by the methods given on page 45.

DAIRY PRODUCTS.
BUTTER.

Methods are available which, with a little practice, may be employed
to distinguish between fresh butter, renovated or process butter, and
oleomargarin.

These methods are commonly used in food and dairy laboratories,
and were originally suggested as household tests." They give reliable
results. At the same time considerable practice is necessary before we
can interpret correctly the results obtained. Some process butters are
on the market which can be distinguished from fresh butter only with

"Patrick, Household tests for the detection of olcomargarin and renovated butter,
Farmers' Bulletin No. 131.

EXAMINATION OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. 51

extreme difficulty. During the last few years considerable progress
has been made in the attempt to renovate butter in such a way that it
will appear like fresh butter in all respects. A study must be made
of these methods if we would obtain reliable results.

The " spoon " test has been suggested as a household test, and is
commonly used by analytical chemists for distinguishing fresh butter
from renovated butter and olepmargarin. A lump of butter two or
three times the size of a pea is placed in a large spoon and heated over
an alcohol or Bunsen burner. If more convenient, the spoon may be
held above the chimney of an ordinary kerosene lamp, or it may even
be held over an ordinary illuminating gas burner. If the sample in
question be fresh butter it will boil quietly, with the evolution of
many small bubbles throughout the mass which produce a large amount
of foam. Oleomargarin and process butter, on the other hand, sput-
ter and crackle, making a noise similar to that heard when a green stick
is placed in a fire. Another point of distinction is noted if a small por-
tion of the sample be placed in a small bottle and set in a vessel of
water sufficiently warm to melt the butter. The sample is kept melted
from half an hour to an hour, when it is examined. If renovated but-
ter or oleomargarin, the fat will be turbid, while if genuine fresh but-
ter the fat will almost certainly be entirely clear.

To manipulate what is known as the "Waterhouse" or "milk" test,
about 2 ounces of sweet milk are placed in a wide-mouthed bottle, which
is set in a vessel of boiling water. When the milk is thoroughly
heated, a teaspoonful of butter is added, and the mixture stirred with
a splinter of wood until the fat is melted. The bottle is then placed in
a dish of ice water and the stirring continued until the fat solidifies.
Now, if the sample be butter, either fresh or renovated, it will be solid-
ified in a granular condition and distributed through the milk in small
particles. If, on the other hand, the sample consist of oleomargarin it
solidifies practically in one piece and may be lifted by the stirrer from
the milk.

By these two tests, the first of which distinguishes fresh butter from
process or renovated-butter and oleomargarin, and the second of which
distinguishes oleomargarin from either fresh butter or renovated but-
ter, the nature of the sample under examination ma}^ be determined.

The oldest and simplest method of adulterating milk is by dilution
with water. This destroys the natural yellowish-white color and pro-
duces a bluish tint, which is sometimes corrected by the addition of
a small amount of coloring matter.

Another form of adulteration is the removal of the cream and the
sale as whole milk of skimmed or partially skimmed milk. Again,

52 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

the difficulty experienced in the preservation of milk in warm weather
has led to the widespread use of chemical preservatives.

Detection of water. — If a lactometer or hydrometer, which can be
obtained of dealers in chemical apparatus, be available, the specific
gravity of milk will afford some clew as to whether the sample has
been adulterated by dilution with water. Whole milk has a specific
gravity between 1.027 and 1.033. The specific gravity of skimmed
milk is higher, and milk very rich in cream is sometimes lower than
these figures. It is understood, of course, that by specific gravity is
meant the weight of a substance with reference to the weight of an
equal volume of water. The specific gravity of water, therefore, is
exactly 1. It is obvious that if water be added to a milk with the
specific gravity of 1.030, the specific gravity of the mixture will be
somewhat below those figures.

An indication by means of a hydrometer or lactometer below the
figure 1.027 therefore indicates either that the sample in question is a
very rich milk or that it is a milk (perhaps normal, perhaps skimmed)
that has been watered. The difference in appearance and nature of
these two extremes is sufficiently obvious to make use of the lactometer
or hydrometer of value as a preliminary test of the purity of milk.

Detection of color. — As previously stated, when milk is diluted by
means of water the natural yellowish-white color is changed to a bluish
tint, which is sometimes corrected by the addition of coloring matter.
Coal-tar colors are usually employed for this purpose. A reaction for
these colors is often obtained in the method given below for the detec-
tion of formaldehyde. When strong hydrochloric acid is added to
the milk in approximately equal proportions before the mixture is
heated a pink tinge sometimes is evident if a coal-tar color has been
added.

Detection of formaldehyde. — Formaldehyde is the substance most
commonly used for preserving milk and is rarely, if ever, added to
any other food. Its use is inexcusable and especially objectionable in
milk served to infants and invalids.

To detect formaldehyde in milk 3 or 4 tablespoonfuls of the sample
are placed in a teacup with at least an equal amount of strong hydro-
chloric acid and a piece of ferric alum about as large as a pinhead,
the liquids being mixed by a gentle rotary motion. The cup is then
placed in a vessel of boiling water, no further heat being applied, and
left for five minutes. At the end of this time, if formaldehyde be
pivsent, the mixture will be distinctly purple. If too much heat is
applied, a muddy appearance is imparted to the contents of the cup.

CAUTION. — Great care must be exercised in n'<n-kimj n-Uti hydrochloric m-/V, <i* it /'.«,•
strongly corrosive. It must not come in contact n-UJi tin- //<>•// «/• r/o///«* of fin- operator nor
with any metallic vessels and must be greatly diluted with water before it is poured into the
sink.

EXAMINATION OF OILS. 53

l.DIBLE OILS.

DETECTION OF COTTON-SEED OIL.

With the exception of cotton-seed oil, the adulterants ordinarily used
with edible oils are of such a nature that the experience and training
of a chemist and the facilities of a chemical laboratory are essential to
their detection. There is, however, a simple test for the detection of
cot ton-seed oil, known as the Halphen test, which may be readily
applied.

The reader is cautioned that great care must be taken in the manipu-
lat ion of this test, as one of the reagents employed — carbon bisulphid —
is very inflammable. The manipulator should use every possible safe-
guard and should see to it that only a small portion of his reagent is
exposed at one time.® The chemicals emplo3red in the preparation of
the reagent used for this test are not household articles. They may,
however, be obtained in any pharmacy. The mixture should be pre-
pared by a druggist rather than by an inexperienced person who desires
to use it.

In order to perform the test 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of this reagent
are mixed in a bottle with an equal volume of the suspected sample of
oil and heated in a vessel of boiling salt solution (prepared by dissolv-
ing 1 tablespoonf ul of salt in a pint of water) for ten or fifteen minutes.
At the end of that time, if even a small percentage of cotton-seed oil
be present, the mixture will be of a distinct reddish color, and if the
sample consists largely or entirely of cotton-seed oil, the color will be
deep red.

EGGS.

There is no better method for the testing of the freshness of an egg
than the familiar one of "candling," which has long been practiced by
dealers. The room is darkened and the egg held between the eye and
a light; the presence of dark spots indicates that the egg is not per-
fectly fresh, one that is fresh presenting a homogeneous, translucent
appearance. Moreover, there is found in the larger end of a fresh
egg, between the shell and the lining membrane, a small air cell which,
of course, is distinctly transparent. In an egg which is not perfectly
fresh this space is filled and hence presents the same appearance as
the rest of the egg.

It is now a matter of considerable importance to be able to distin-
guNh between fresh eggs and those that have been packed for a consid-
erable time. Until recently that was not a difficult matter. All of
the solutions that were formerly used extensively for that purpose
gave the shell a smooth, glistening appearance which is not found in
the fresh egg. This characteristic, however, is of less value now than

«See Caution, p. 42.

54 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOB DETECTION.

formerly, owing to the fact that packed eggs are usually preserved in
cold storage. There is now no means by which a fresh egg can be
distinguished from a packed egg without breaking it. Usually in eggs
that have been packed for a considerable time the white and }7olk
slightly intermingle along the point of contact, and it is a difficult
matter to separate them. Packed eggs also have a tendency to adhere
to the shell on one side and when opened frequently have a musty
odor.

FLAVORING EXTRACTS.

Although quite a large number of flavoring extracts are on the
market, vanilla and lemon extracts are used so much more commonly
than other flavors that a knowledge of their purity is of the greatest
importance. Only methods for the examination of those two products
will, therefore, be considered.

VANILLA EXTRACT.

Vanilla extract is made by extracting vanilla beans with alcohol. It
consists of an alcoholic solution of vanillin (the characteristic flavor-
ing matter of the vanilla bean) and several other products, chiefly
resins, which, though present in but small amount and having only a
slight flavor in themselves, yet affect very materially the flavor of the
product. Vanilla extract is sometimes adulterated with the extract of
the tonka bean. This extract to a certain extent resembles vanilla
extract. The extract of the tonka bean, however, is far inferior to
that of the vanilla bean. It has a relatively penetrating, almost pun-
gent odor, standing in sharp contrast to the flavor of the vanilla
extract. This odor is so different that one who has given the matter
some attention may readily distinguish the two, and the quality of the
vanilla extract may often be judged with a fair degree of accuracy by
means of the odor alone.

Another form of adulteration and one that is now quite prevalent is
the use of artih'cial vanillin in place of the extract of either vanilla or
tonka beans. Artificial vanillin has, of course, the same composition
and characteristics as the natural vanillin of the vanilla bean. Extracts
made from it, however, are deficient in the resins and other products
which are just as essential to the true vanilla as is vanillin itself.
Since vanillin is thus obtained from another source so readily, methods
for the determination of the purity of vanilla extract must depend
upon the presence of other >ul>M;mrrs than vanillin.

Detection of caramel. — The coloring matter of vanilla extract is due
to substances naturally present in the vanilla bean and extracted there-
from by alcohol. Artificial extracts made by dissolving artificial
vanillin in alcohol contain no color of themselves, and to supply it
caramel is commonly employed. Caramel may be detected in arti-

EXAMINATION OF EXTRACTS. 55

ficial extracts by shaking and observing the color of the resulting foam
:i ft er a moment's standing. The foam of pure extract^ is colorless.
If caramel is present a color persists at the points of contact between
the bubbles until the last bubble has disappeared. The test with
fullers' earth given for caramel in vinegar (p. 48) is also very sati-
factory, but of course requires the loss of the sample used for the t< -t .

Examination of the resin. — If pure vanilla extract be evaporated to
about one-third its volume the resins become insoluble and settle to the
bottom of the dish. Artificial extracts remain clear under the same
conditions. In examining vanilla extract the character of these resins
is studied. For this purpose a dish containing about an ounce of the
extract is placed on a teakettle or other vessel of boiling water until
the liquid evaporates to about one-third or less of its volume. Owing
to the evaporation of the alcohol the resins will then be insoluble.
Water may be added to restore the liquid to approximate!}^ its original
volume. The resin will then separate out as a brown nocculent pre'-
cipitate. A few drops of hydrochloric acid may be added and the
liquid stirred and the insoluble matter allowed to settle. It is then
filtered and the resin on the filter paper washed with water. The resin
is then dissolved in a little alcohol, and to one portion of this solution
is added a small particle of ferric alum and to another portion a few
drops of hydrochloric acid. If the resin be that of the vanilla bean,
neither ferric alum nor hydrochloric acid will produce more than
a slight change of color. With resins from most other sources, how-
ever, one or both of these substances yield a distinct color change.

For filtering, a piece of filter paper should be folded once through
the middle, and again at right angles to the first fold. It may now be
opened with one fold on one side and three on the other and fitted into
a glass funnel. When the paper is folded in this manner the precipi-
tated resins may be readily washed with water. When the washing is
completed the resins may be dissolved by pouring alcohol through the
filter. This work with the resins will require some practice before it
can be successfully performed. It is of considerable value, however,

judging of the purity of vanilla extract.

LEMON EXTRACT.

By lemon extract is understood a solution of lemon oil in strong
ilcohol. In order to contain as much lemon oil as is supposed to be
found in high-grade extracts the alcohol should constitute about 80
per cent of the sample. The alcohol is therefore the most valuable
constituent of lemon extract, and manufacturers who turn out a
low-grade product usually do so because of their economy of alcohol
rather than of lemon oil. Owing to the fact that lemon extract is
practically a saturated solution of oil of lemon in strong alcohol the
sample may be examined by simple dilution with water. A teaspoon-

56 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOB DETECTION.

ful of the oil in question may be placed in the bottom of an ordinary
glass tumbler and 2 or 3 teaspoonfuls of water added. If the sample
in question be real lemon extract the lemon oil should be thrown out
of solution by reason of its insolubility in the alcohol after its dilution
with water. The result is at first a marked turbidity and later the
separation of the oil of lemon on the top of the aqueous liquid. If the
sample remains perfectly clear after the addition of water, or if a
marked turbidity is not produced, it is a low-grade product and con-
tains very little, if any, oil of lemon.

FRUIT PRODUCTS.

Adulteration of fruit products is practically confined to jellies and
jams. Contrary to the general belief, gelatin is never used in making
fruit jelly. In the manufacture of the very cheapest grade of jellies
starch is sometimes employed. Jellies containing starch, however,
are so crude in their appearance that the most superficial inspection is
sufficient to demonstrate that they are not pure fruit jellies. From
their appearance no one would think it worth while to examine them
to determine their purity.

Natural fruit jellies become liquid on being warmed. A spoonful
dissolves readily in warm water, although considerable time is required
with those that are especially firm. The small fruits contain practi-
cally no starch, as apples do, and the presence of starch in a jelly
indicates that some apple juice has probably been used in its prepara-
tion. (As stated above, jelly that has been thickened by starch paste
will not be mistaken for fruit jelly.)

DETECTION OF STARCH.

Dissolve a teaspoonf ul of jelly in a half teacupful of hot water, heat
to boiling and add, drop by drop, while stirring with a teaspoon, a
solution of potassium permanganate until the solution is almost color-
less. Then allow the solution to .-ool and test for starch with tincture
of iodin, as directed on page 58. Artificially colored jellies are some-
times not decolorized by potassium permanganate. Even without
decolorizing, however, the blue color can usually be seen.

DETECTION OP GLUCOSE.

For the detection of glucose, a teaspoonful of the jelly may h<» dis-
solved in a glass tumbler or bottle in '2 or 3 tablospoonfuls of water.
The vessel in which the jelly is dissolved may be placed in hot water
if necessary to hasten the solution. In case a jam or marmalade is
being examined, the mixture is filtered to separate the insoluble mat-
ter. The solution is allowed to cool, and an equal volume or a little
more of strong alcohol is added. If tin- sample is a pure fruit product
the addition of alcohol causes no precipitation, except that a very

EXAMINATION OF MKAT PRODUCTS.

slight amount of protcid bodies is thrown down. If glucose has been
employed in its manufacture, howe\ er, a dense white precipitate sepa-
rates and after a time settles to the bottom of the liquid.

DETECTION OF FOREIGN SEEDS.

In addition to the forms of adulteration to which jellies are subject,
jams are sometimes manufactured from the exhausted fruit pulp left
after removing the juice for making jelly. When this is done resi-
dues from different fruits are sometimes mixed. Exhausted raspberry
or blackberry pulp ma}7 be used in making "strawberry" jam and
vice versa. Some instances are reported of various small seeds, such
as timothy, clover, and alfalfa seed, having been used with jams made
from seedless pulp.

With the aid of a small magnifying glass such forms of adulteration
may be detected, the observer familiarizing himself with the seeds of
the ordinary fruits.

DETECTION OF PRESERVATIVES AND COLORS.

With jellies and jams salicylic and benzoic acids are sometimes
employed. They may be detected by the methods given on pages 43
and 44.

Artificial colors, usually coal-tar derivatives, are sometimes used
and may be detected as described on page 45.

MEAT PRODUCTS.

As in manj^ other classes of foods, certain questions important in the
judgment of meats require practical experience and close observation
rather than chemical training. This is especially true of meat prod-
ucts. The general appearance of the meat must largely guide the pur-
chaser. If, however, the meat has been treated with preservatives
and coloring matter its appearance is so changed as to deceive him.
The preservatives employed with meat products are boric acid, borax,
and sulphites. The methods for the detection of sulphites are not
suitable for household use.

DETECTION OF BORIC ACID AND BORAX.

To detect boric acid (if its sodium salt, borax, has been used the
same reaction will be obtained) about a tablespoonful of the chopped
meat is thoroughly macerated with a little hot water, pressed through
a bag, and 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of the liquid placed in a sauce dish
with 15 or 20 drops of strong hydrochloric acid for each tablespoon-
fill. The liquid is then filtered through filter paper, and a piece of
turmeric paper dipped into it and dried near a lamp or stove. If boric
acid or borax were used for preserving the sample the turmeric paper
should be changed to a bright cherry-red color. If too much hydro-
chloric acid has been employed a dirty brownish-red color is obtained,

58 FOOD ADULTERATION AND METHODS FOR DETECTION.

which interferes with the color due to the presence of boric acid.
When a drop of household ammonia is added to the colored turmeric
paper, it is turned a dark green, almost black color, if boric acid is
present. If the reddish color, however, was caused by the use of too
much hydrochloric acid this green color does not form.

CAUTION. — The corrosive nature of hydrochloric acid must not be for gotten. It must not
be allowed to touch the flesh, clothes, or any metal.

DETECTION OF COLORS.

The detection of coloring matter in sausage is often a difficult mat-
ter without the use of a compound microscope. It may sometimes be
separated, however, by macerating the meat with a mixture of equal
parts of glycerin and water to which a few drops of acetic or hydro-
chloric acid have been added. After macerating for some time the
mixture is filtered and the coloring matter detected by means of dyeing
wool in the liauid thus obtained. (See p. -±5.)

SPICES.

Although ground spices are very frequently adulterated, there are
few methods that may be used b}T one who has not had chemical train-
ing, and who is not skilled in the use of a compound microscope, for
the detection of the adulterants employed. The majority of the sub-
stances used for the adulteration of spices are of a starchy character.
Unfortunately for our purposes, most of the common spices also con-
tain a considerable amount of starch. Cloves, mustard, and cayenne,
however, are practically free from starch, and the presence of starch
in the ground article is proof of adulteration.

DETECTION OP STARCH IN CLOVES, MUSTARD, AND CAYENNE.

A half teaspoonf ul of the spice in question is stirred into half a cupful
of boiling water, and the boiling continued for two or three minutes.
The mixture is then cooled. If of 'a dark color, it is diluted with a
sufficient amount of water to reduce the color to such an extent that
the reaction formed by starch and iodin may be clearly apparent if
starch be present. The amount of dilution can only be determined by
practice, but usually the liquid must be diluted with an equal volume
of water, or only one-fourth of a teaspoonf ul of the sample may l>e
employed originally. A single drop of tincture of iodin is now added.
If starch is present, a deep blue color, which in the presence of a I:UL:V
amount of starch appears black, is formed. If no blue color appears,
the addition of the iodin tincture should be continued, drop by drop,
until the liquid shows by its color the presence of iodin in solution.

DETECTION OF COLORS.

Spice substitutes are sometimes colored with coal-tar colors. These
products may be detected by the methods given on page ±5.

EXAMINATION OF VINKGAR. 59

VINEGAK.

A person thoroughly familiar with \ me^ar can tell much regarding
the source of the article from its appearance, color, odor, and taste.

If a glass be rinsed out with the sample of vinegar and allowed to
stand for a number of hours or overnight, the odor of the residue
remaining in the glass is quite different with different kinds of \ ii it-
gar. Thus, wine vinegar has the odor characteristic of wine, and cider
vinegar has a peculiar, fruity odor. A small amount of practice with
this tot enables one to distinguish with a high degree of accuracy
between wine and cider vinegars and the ordinary substitutes.

If a sample of vinegar be placed in a shallow dish on a warm >t ox-t-
or boiling teakettle and heated to a temperature sufficient for evapora-
tion and not sufficient to burn the residue, the odor of the warm
residue is also characteristic of the different kinds of vinegar. Thus.
the residue from cider vinegar has the odor of baked apples and the
flavor is acid and somewhat astringent in taste, and that from wine
vinegar is equally characteristic. The residue obtained by evapora-
ting vinegar made from sugarhouse products and from spirit and wood
vinegar colored by means of caramel has the peculiar, bitter taste
characteristic of caramel.

If the residue be heated until it begins to burn, the odor of the
burning product also varies with different kinds of vinegar. Thus,
the residue from cider vinegar has the odor of scorched apples, while
that of vinegars made from sugarhouse wastes and of distilled and
wood vinegars colored with a large amount of caramel has the odor of
burnt sugar. In noting these characteristics, however, it must be
borne in mind that, in order to make them conform to these tests, dis-
tilled and wood vinegars often receive the addition of apple jelly.

As stated above, the cheaper forms of vinegar, especially distilled
and wood vinegar, are commonly colored with caramel, which can be
detected by the method given on page 48.

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