Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-08
THE WHY AND WHEREFORE OF THE
BAKING POWDER BUSINESS.

The Disadvantage of Small Manufacturers.
The recent controversy in the newspapers
over the baking powder question has set our
good housekeepers thinking seriously upon
the subject, and many animated discussions
have followed as to the respective merits of
different powders now offered In the market
for sale. From what we hear upon every side
we are led to believe that Investigations in a
quiet way have been going on in many st.
Paul kitchen. Practical tests of this kind,
which after all are the most satisfactory that
can be made, will enable our intelligent and
sensible ladies to decide correctly between the
merits OF the different powders without much
assistance from the chemists or newspapers.
There is one point, however, that our fair
experimentalists cannot understand, and that
is why the new baking powders placed in the
market. and those made by small manufac-
turers, may at one time produce light bread,
while upon another trial the same brand will
have no leavening effect, or will leave the
bread and biscuit yellow, sour or unpalata.
Bile.
The quality and uniform character of a
baking powder must depend, of course, upon
the materials Of which it is composed. A
good and efficient powder must be so COM
pounded that the use of the same quantity
will always produce the same amount Of
leavening gas, or else the housekeeper, having
no means OF testing its strength or Ascertain
ing its variable qualities, cannot tell what
amount 10 use at different times TO
produce the proper effect. II the cream OF
tartar or carbonate of soda, ingredien large
ly used by all manufacturers, is adulterated or
varying in strength, this result is impossible
to obtain, but on the contrary baking pow
der that Is both adulterated and variable in its
qualities, like those complained of, is pro.
duced
The New York state board of health has
been examining various articles Of food, and
its report recently published says: "Of
twenty seven samples of cream tarter exam.
ined, sixteen were adulterated with terra alba,
starch, phosphate OF calcium, etc, the adul.
te.ation being from 1927 t. 70 per cent. Five
samples contained 20 per cent. of terra alba
In the soda examined, from II per cent. of
carbonate of lime to 25 per cent. OF groud
gypsum were found.'
Here is a solution of the whole question.
ALI baking powders manufactured In a small
way are made from materials procured, as
were these samples, from the open market.
The small manufacturers cannot afford to
employ chemists to test their purity of
strength, and are, therefore, powerless to pre-.
vent the adulteration, lrregularity and in
feriority which must naturally follow. 1t
will be seen at once that their powders can
not be otherwise than adulterated and lacking
In strength to a similar degree with the ma.
terial they use, namely, from to 90 per cent
The unequal and bad results ia making bread
or biscuit from such powders, as noted by
housekeepers who have used them. is the
natural and inevitable consequence.
This complaint has meyer extended to the
Royal Baking Powder, and this fact is also
easily explained. The Royal Baking Powder
company has an advantage over all other
manufacturers in having facilities possessed
by none of them for obtaining the pure mate
rails. 1t refines the cream of tartar it uses
direct from the imported grape acid in the
crude form by means of patented processes
exclusively lis own, by which the cream of
tartar is rendered absolutely pure and uniform
in strength. In addition to this, 1t employs a
number of expert chemists who thorou ghIy
test every pound of ingredient used, and ad-
nit no material into the Royal Baking Pow.
der compound until they hays demonstrated II
chemically pure. AS consequence, the &C.
ton OF this powder is always uniform as well
as OF the highest degree of power, and never
fails to produce light, sweet, wholesome and
palatable bread, biscuit or cake. With the
whole world for market, and with sale
many times larger than that of any other Bak-
ing Bowder manufactured, this company finds
1t to its interests to adopt these extraordinary
methods, which no baking powder maker
whose market is limited to single state or
locality can afford.