The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-09-14
AdulteratiOn Of M0lasses.

Nearly every article which is placed upon
our tables for food is subject to adulteration
either in the manufacturers hands or after
it leaves them, before it comes to the consum-
er. Alum is mixed with the lower grades of
dour to whiten the bread. Butter is mixed
with refined tallow and colored with anatto.
Milk is watered. Horse radish weakened
with turnip. Ginger with tumeric. Sugar
IS sanded, and so on through the chapter,
but it is not until recently that molasses has
been treated with any mixture to cheapon it.
Possibly the reason for this may be that for
merly 1t was considered only as a waste
product in the manufacture of sugar and cost
but little more than the expense OF importa-
tion. More recently, however, some grades
of it have been so costly that it has been
worth while to mix it with cheap and some
times harmful substances to reduce the price
and improve its appearance. More especially
has this been the case during the past year.
While the Louisiana crop was being gathered
frost struck the ripening canes and injured
the juice by chemical action which pre-
vented the capitalization into sugar; conse-
quently very large portion of the cane
juice was fit only for the manufacture of mo.
lasses, the effect upon the cane being quite
similar to that of freezing an apple; the
juice, while quite as abundant as before, was
very insip!d. Owing to its abundance Lou
isiana or New Orleans molasses, which in
ordinary years ranges in price from IS
tots cents per gallon, was sold as low
flor the frosted) as % cents per gallon. As
this molasses by itself was not a very desir-
able article of consumption the device was
adopted of mixing it with low grade, dark
colored Cuba molasses, giving it bright
color and receiving strong molasses flavor.
The mixture was then sold for a high grade
molasses. This succeeded so we'll that when
New Orleans molasses of low grade grew
scarce other substances were sought as sub
stitutes which should possess light color, a
sweetish taste and be cheap. OF these have
been used corn syrup, glucose and mixture
OF the two, and the trade of mixing these sub
stances with molasses has now assumed such
proportions that in all cities where molasses
is considerable article of trade special
apparatus is used for the purpose consisting
in the main of tank, the contents of which
may be heated with steam, from which is
drawn, to suit customers tastes, Porto Rico,
Cuba or New Orleans molasses of all grades.
Some of the mixtures sold as molasses are
entirely innocent of cane juice, aud have no
molasses about them, but the larger part have
some small portion OF molasses as basis,
''toned up" as they say, with corn syrup or
glucose. This last substance is an artificial
grape sugar largely manufactured from starch,
but also may be made from old rags with
sulphuric acid and lime. If the starch is not
sufficiently cooked in the process of convert
ing it into glucose it is likely to thicken up,
and some Of our readers, if in the retail gro
cery trade, may have seen their molasses
thicken into consistency of hard boiled
paste.
Last year the importation of glucose into
this country, principally from Germany and
France, was valued at $2335-the present
year it amounted to $233, ,366-an enormous
increase. 1t pays no duty, and while a
part is undoubtedly used in adulterating very
low grades of sugars, its principal use is in
adulterating molasses. Pure, unadulterated
molasses may still be had, but the larger part
now sold has been manipulated by the trade.
The syrupy or boiled flavor taste often be-
trays it to those who are looking for mix
lures, but guarantee of purity from all
foreign substances ought to be exacted from
all sellers by those who want an old fashioned
pure molasses.