Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-01-30
WHAT We Il 1T.

The adUlteration of food and drinks has be-
come almost as general as the Use OF these artI-
cieS itself. Scarcely an article used by men in
civilized countries has ESCAPED this process
where 1t was possible to unite some cheaper
substance with il. Flour, coffee. tea. sugar
Dutter. and hundred other articles are we'll
Known to be the cornmoneSt articles that under.
60 this adulteTatiOn process. The methods have
oeen so often exposed that the public are toler-
ably acquainted with the manfpulationS these
substances undergo at the hands Of experts.
Bread truthfully called the staff OF life. is no
exception to this rule.
The New OTk Post has been giving this sub
Jcct some attention, and has published the re-
-ult OF some remarkable Investigations, which
are worthy the close attention OF thoughtful
neCpie
From its recent exposure OF the use of burnt
a!unt in some brands of baking powders. in place
II cream OF tartar, the following extracts are
mainly taken:
Pursuing the investigator of the quality of
be food sold in this city, the representative OF
the Erenfnq Post took up baking powder as one
OF the articles in most general use in our house
holds. 1t is used by nearly every family i'm the
city, and 1t is naturally of great importance TO
nose who eat the food made with ii to know
Whethef IL contains anything Injurious TO
There are certain constituents of good baking
powder which may be regarded as entirely free
from danger. They consist OF pure grape cream
OF tartar, bicarbonate of soda, and carbonate or
ammonia. The cream OF tartar uniteS with the
other two ingredients, and carbonic acid gas is
thrown of, producing the same effect as yeast
III much shorter time. 1t has been found
however. that alum Will also unite with the
other two articles, and carbonic acid gas will be
produced. AS alum costs less than three cents.
While cream Of tartar costs more than thirty
cents pound, ii is easy TO see why alum is
substituted for the latter by some baking pow
Ger Ger manufacturers. 1t is admitted by all med
ical autnol1tleS that cream OF tartar leaves no
injurious substance in the bread; alum, on the
other hand, is In itself an astringest, and there
is wide and ueep-seated prejudice against its
use. In England and other countries the adult
teration OF food with alum is forbidden by law
under heavy penalties. The chemical effect OF
alum used in bread TO Whiten it is to form two
salts OF alumlna-the sulphate and the phos-
phate OF alumina When used in baking powder
the alum forms third SALT the hydrate OF
OF aiumlna Is far more easily soluble than the
other two; hence any objection that may exist
to'the use OF alum alone in bread applies with
greater force to its use in baking powder. This
authorities:
Parke is the leader of the new school of
g1ene,n he says" Looking, then. TO the posi-
tive evidence, and the reasonableneSs of that
evidence. II seems to me extremely likely that
strongly alumed bread does produce the inju-
rlouS effects aseribed TO it, These effects, as
he previously states, are indigestion, gripping.
constipation, and kindred troubles resulting
from irritation Of the mucous membrane pro-
duced by the aStringent properties OF alum
IN Dr. Hammond's work on hygiene, written
in 1850. the following passages occur. Alum
acts by rendering the albumen lin the bread
less soluole: 1.-The use of alum in bread is in
furious, both because it tends to conceal the had
quahty OK the liour employed, and because 1t is
capable OF exercising an injurious effect upon
the bread by rendering it indfgeStiple III is also
probable that the continued fngestion of alum
IS calculates TO disorder the healthy action of
the digestive system
Persons who have not strong constitutions
growing girls. young children. and nursing
mothers, are particularly liable to the evil
effects produced by this use of alum Heart
burn and the prevalent forms OF Indigestion
are OFTEN solely traceable to the action OF alum
on the delicate coats OF the stomach Those
who think the size of the dose is TOO small TO be
dangerous, will see by the accompanying an
alySiS that the dose is not so small after ali.
results
To make sure Of knowing the action of alum.
the Ereai3g Posts representative obtained the
following expressions OF opinion as to its effect
when used in baking powder, from some physi-
clans OF New York OF the highest reputation
and ability.
DR.. VIM A. Hammond formerly surgeon gen.
eral United States, Of No. IS west 54th street.
expressed himself as perfectly certain of the
injurious effects Of alum, whether used alone to
powders. Abiding to the claim advanced that
the alum was neutraliZed and changed into an
iDsolable salt, he said that this was wholly
improbable assumption, since such a perfect
change could not take place unless the amounts
Of the alum and the bicarbonate of soda were
combined in the exact chemical ratio necessary
for each to absorb all Of the other. Not only was
this impossible in the manufacture OF large
quantities or baking powder, but the homoge-
neouS character OF the compound could not he
exactly maintained throughout the whole mass,
and therefore there would be sure to be certain
amount Of free alum In any bread made with an
alum baking powder. But even If the exact pro-
portion were maintained the salts formed would
be dissolved in the gastric juice. The gastric
juice contained not only Tactic acid, but large
amount of hydrO-chlOric acid, and both the sui
phate and hydrate OF alllmina would be dis
solved. The phosphate might not be. but In
that case the bread would be deprived of one of
its most desirable ingredients, making the use
of alum not only dangerous 20 the stomach, but
deteriorating TO the food.
1.-The hydrate of alumlna," DIR. Hammond
said, would certainly be injurious TO the NIL
cous membrane. IL would Inevitably tend 10