River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-01-08
FOOD ADULTERATIONS.
What the Staple Articles of Con-
sumption Contain.

sumption Contain.
The following interesting treatise
upon food authorizations was read be-
fore the Wisconsin Academy of Sci
ences, Arts and Letters, at its recent
meeting, by Ira NJ. Buell., of Beloit
The subject 10 which your attention
is now called has at least one salient fea-
ture-it is old, as old as human greed
and deception, if not as ancient as the
human race itself, 1t is older than
Jewish history, for Moses legislated
against it; older than the patriarchs,
for Jacob practiced it; and we have
more than suspicion that Cain him
self was the originator of the unwhole-
some art. Following downwards the
chain of history, we find the Roman
fathers contending with the evil and
still later our own English ancestors,
bringing dishonest butchers, bakers and
winners to judgment Itmay be safely
affirmed that the subject has received
public attention, and legislative protec-
ton has been afforded, by every nation
which has ever arisen into the plane OF
civilization.
OF the importance OF the topic, it is
hardly necessary to speak. Strength,
efficiency and happiness are dependent
upon the nature and condition of our
daily food, and no person dares to be
indifferent as to what he eats. The
higher the development of the intellec-
tual and spiritual faculties, the more
exacting is the individual as to the
purity and wholesomeness of his food.
Although the same topic has occu-
pied mems thoughts for ages, new pha-
ses are always appearing, and the OBJ
server notes continual change. New
methods of deception and of conceal
ment are arising every day to take the
place of those whose real natdre has
become generally known. That which
no longer decelves, has ceased to be
profitable; and hence the most efficient
means for diminishing these frauds is
to expose their real nature faster than
they can lie devised by knavery and
greed. The term adulterants may be
applied to all intentional, unacknowl-
edged additions to any substance, for
the purpose of gain, deception or con-
cealment. The general term impuri-
ties is here used in connection with
to include those neces-
sary or unintentional additions or pro-
ducts which often seriously affect the
value of the articles containing them,
and which the conscientious analyst
cannot pass unnotlced. The results
which are here presented can only be
considered as preliminary survey of
a portion of the work which must be
and carefully prosecuted if
ance of safety from imposition or from
injury in the consumption OF the daily
necessities of life.
COFFEE.
The principal adulterants of this
are to be found in the roast
ed and ground article, although the
berry itself IL said to be counterfeited,
and machine has been patented in
England for the moulding of chicory
nibs into the form of coffee seeds. More
of these spurious products. however,
have come under our observation, and
it is hardly possible that a fraud SO
glaring as this could long be practiced.
The list of substances which have
been detected in ground coffee is long
and nauseating, if not particularly dan
gerous to health. Roasted corn, rye,
beans, peas, chicory, carrots, parsnips,
beets, dandelions, acorns, horse-chest-
nuts, mustard husks, coffee husks,
spent coffee, burnt biscuit, burnt sugar,
tan bark, sawdust and baked LIVER have
been found by English analysts, and in
some cases the quantity of genuine cot
fee contained in the examined samples
was very small, less than one-fourth of
the mixture.
Each of the eleven samples examin-
ed by us were more or less adulterated,
although the list OF adulterants is much
more limited than that given above.
Chicory was present In each of them.
Ten Of the eleven samples contained
an additional quantity of ground
peas. A few granules Of what appeared
to be bread crusts were found in one
sample. These displayed an abund-
ance of starch granules, when viewed
under the microscope. The oily nature
of genuine coffee causes its granules to
float for some time when thrown upon
the surface Of water, and to discolor the
LIQUID very slowly, while the substances
with which it is mixed sink very quick
ly and begin to change the color of the
water at once. These characteristics
furnish @ very convenient method of
obtaining an approximation of the
quantity Of genuine coffee in any given
mixture. The presence of some ingredi-
ents, such as chicory, tends to load
down and precipitate the genuine coffee
and thus renders the separation imper-
feet. The quantitative results obtained
by this process gave 81, Al, 30, 50, Go.
and 81 per cent. of genuine coffee, re-
spectively, IN SIX samples of Rio mix
ture examined, and 90, 50, 60, and So
per cent, respectively, in samples of
ground coffee sold as Java.
TEA.
The adulterants OF this article
present a marked contrast to those
which are found III coffee. While the
debasement OF coffee is openly prac-
ticed by dealers. and is seemingly en-
couraged by consumers, the same class
OF persons view with alarm any SEM
blance of sophistication in this more
subtle stimulant. For this reason We
would expected to find greater purity
in the article as generally furnished to
consumers, and much more careful
concealment of such adulterants as
may be used.
In this article. as in most of the sue
ceeding subjects OF our investigations,
a. - - hn or
into two classes. First, those added
simply to increase the bulk; and second,
those which conceal the effects CT the
former class Of adulterants. To the
first class belongs, in this instance, ex-
hausted tea leaves and leaves OF other
plants, dust, sand, -four, chalk, gypsum.
oxide of iron, clay and other mineral
and vegetable substances, and in the sec
ond class are included, an astrlngent ex-
tractive from the catechu tree, cop