National Republican., 1878-12-30
BAKING POWDERS.
Eject Of Alum as an Adui,eraut

Sanitary Superintendent Raymond Of Brooklyn,
has presented TO the Board Of Health OF that city
report on baking powders and cream tartar, and
the effect Of alum as an adulterant upon the human
system, IN which he says:
The digcstibility Of bread depends In great meas.
ure upon It's being porous. II II is compact and
heavy the digestive juices are unable to act upon
gested giving rise To those dsagrceabe sensations
all know as Indigestion. This plrosty Is given to
bread ny the cars3nIc scid gas liberated IN he pro-
little vescles Of gas which are held by the gluten Of
the -four until thc baking has solidihcd The mass
| and made permanent the spaces originally pro.
| duced by the carbOnic oCid Eas.
This gas Is Incorporated with the dough In vari.
ous ways; 1t may be forced in MS Is done IN the
"seracd bread" or the gas may he formed by fer
incntation. For this purpose yeast mass OF minute
vegetable cells. is employed. This acts upon the
sugar Of the -four converting II into carbdnlc acid
gas and alcohol. or again, the carbonic acid gas
may be liberated from some salt holding u IN com.
bIratlon. This is the principle involved in the
use Of baking powder
| Without going Ia detail into the
| CONSTITUTION OF BAKING POWDERS,
| II will only be necessary to say that they are
made with bicarbOnatc of soda carbonate Of nm-
| morlia and cream Of tartar. chemically known as
| the citrate of potassa. These powders are cspe-
| ciay used In making biscuit and cakes Before
| families the cream Of tartar and bcaTbonate of
soda were purchased separately from the grocer
| aud baking powder eNtemporiLch In each kitchen.
but the lack Of skill resulting In Jumps of soda In
| the proiuct led manufacturers TO ascertain the
| proper proportion OI tncke TWO sAlts ana 10 mix
| ihrn, selling the compound a. q baking powder.
These manufactures claim that the cream nG tar.
tar sold IN tho shops is very variable and that
nothing short Of chemical analysis Viii determine
the amount OF cream of tartar IN each sample that
this the householder cannot do for himself and
therefore is unable to combine with Il the proper
| proportion Of soda. The analysis Of Inspector Nc.
| CDrke, just completed, and which Is herewith sub.
mited. demonstrates that this claim is not with.
| out foundation-in fact the specimens Of cream OF
| tartar analyI By him were purchased at random
| In Brooklyn; one, costing IS cents One.quartcI
pound contained 9S per cent Of cream OF tartar and
| per cent, OF adulteTauts A second, also from 0
grGcer, and costing tile same contained 67 per cent
Of cream OF tartar and SS per cent. of Gdulerants
| tar and - per cent. Of adIIlterants
THE PRINCIPAL ADuLTERASTs
were terra alba aud taItrite of lime. Ibis yaria
bltty In the quality OF cream OF tartar needs Tho
chemist to detect H. and the extensive use OF hak
Ing powders would seem to Indicate that there Is Il
popular demand for them, due 10 the inability o.
tho average cook 10 make her biscuits aud cake
successfully when she herself mikes the cream o
larlHr and the soda. We have been M Nlo to find
IN any drug store or grocery good cream Of tNrtal
sold at retail for less than sixty cents a pound
while in some places It was at high rs Cchty.ivt
cents. some Of tho manufacturers, III order L
supply cheap baking powder. have introduced
alum an ingredient aud this seems to be III,
only satisfactory reason ioF lis u>c that can bI
given. Carbonate Of soda i uFCd In these alum
p"wtyrs, a. In the Others and Carbonate acid ga
| l. similarly psnducSd.
| In many Countries alum has long been used By
bakers In bread making II is Ca!mcd that The
bread Is winter and tina an inferior quality OF fou
can by Its nse bS ralmcd On on tile public os o
the fret quality. The effects OF alum On the hu
man b dy are well known and are beyond dOub
injurious when taken IN large quantities or In Smal
quantities Giten rrrcEird An authorities agree IL
this aud there Is n9 room Tor discussion. Bu
rlum IN baking pOwdcrs and In bread are In tive
different conditions. In the bread the alum exist
Us alum, wh:,e In Ihe
RisCI'yr OR CAKE MADE FROM ALUM
baking powders. the alum has hcca brought int,
chemical relations vita other SnHS'1nGcs, and NJ
longer exists as alum The chemical changes az,
| complex and ssYrlUi now compounds are iOrmet
whose action upon the human economy Is at tn
| present time unknrwn. some claim that the bus'
Of the alum combines with the phosphNtes Of tn
nnIr forming Il phosphate Of Rlrmina, which /
/ | entirely harmless when taken Into the stomach
OthyrS claim that this rObs the grain Of one OF It
lnO,t nutritious ingredients, aud that this R.on
should he Il rrlsOn Tor COndcnIing It stu other
= hold that the new compounds formed are just q
injurious as the alum from which they were Oh
tElHUd Containing It's poisonous element and thu
. making applicable lO the baking powder all tina
= the authorizes say Of the harmful effects Of alum il
L bread.
: Between these men, all competent and Skilful
7 no one can al the p:csent time decide with Ger
l tninty but tfhrn careful examination. j an
satisfied that the weight Of evidence Is anst th
! use Of alum 10 baking powders, aud that the risk
In it. constant use are too great 10 be incurred 10
the Rke Of chcaHncss alone The mucous mem
branG OF the stomach and Intestinal canal l. dell
I | cate structure, aud materials which would pr1
,lW"o no etCC, whcn brought In contact with tl'
| outside skin might irrtate and ni0me tLcs
| organs, and Il bchOIvcs every individual 10 be sus
piciUus IN the eEtIume of every article which Is I
. iorn pat Of lis daily food, the quality aud c
fcCtS Of which arc not thoroughly undcrstood, C'
. | its long continued uSe, though producing no IN
nc'iia,e effect may result in permanent injury
T. his body.
Il a table showing the chemical analysis Of fftee
Il samples Of cream tartar, purchased at dihcrci
l. places In Brooklyn. Is expended to the report II
4 follows = . - 25 ~ 10, 80 ~, 80. III. -
(; S25 IJ7 g. and u. Ofihcl last TWO COanl " u
:, cent. re,lcct!ve:y was term G!pn white earthJ