Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-03-23
AN IMPORTANT FOOD RE-
FORM.

Production OF Chemically Pure Cream Of
1drtar-T Total Eltmiaatson Of al Lime
Inpurities-Neae Discoveries IN Refining
"a Long Stride toeoard Pare Food
Discoveries of much Importance on ac- /
count of the relation they bear toward |
more wholesome food supply and con- |
Sequently upon the public health, have
been recently made in the process of re-
lining cream of tartar. Cream of tartar, |
as IS well known is bitartrate of potas- |
ga purified from the crude tartar, or ar
gol, which collects in crystalline depos-
it upon the bottom and sides of wine
casks during the fermentation of the
wine. This tartar, in its crude state,
contains lime and other impurities, which
no process of refining known prior to
that here described was able to entirely
remove. 1t has been possible, it is true,
to neutralize the lime to some extent by
| the aid of chemicals, and this method was
resOrted to in order to procure cream of
tartar in small quantities for pharmaceu-
| tical purposes; but it was open to seri-
| Gus objection inzyiew Of the fact that the 4
| chemicals employed for this purpose were
not always washed out but remained in
| quantities that were uncertain and preju-
| dicial to it's quality. The supposed inn
possibility of removing the lime has, ae-
cOrdingly, caused cream of tartar to be
classed and sold as pure when it did not
contain more than five per cent of this
impurity. The major part, however, of
| that nsed in commerce, or for culinary
purposes, contains the tartrate Of lime to-
| an extent much greater than five per
cent, not infrequently being found, upon
d,I>n
| one fourth or more of its entire weight.
| In a report upon the subject of food
| adulteration made to the New York state
board of health by Professors Chandler
and Love, it is stated that of 81 samples
of cream of tartar bought from dealers as
pure 16 were adnlterated with various
substances from 3 to SO per cent, while.
Of the remainder all contained tartrate Of
lime, some as high as l0.59 per cent.
i The serious character of this adultera-
tion is more readily appreciated when it
is recollected how largely cream of tartar
enters into the preparation of the food of
every family. In connection with soda
in baking powder it is the chief agent
now employed for raising and making
light and digestible all our biscuit, cake,
and other pastry, and is besides, In many
communities, superseding the old-fa h.
that it is employed to some extent In al
& most every meal of which we eat. The
amount of cream of tartar used in this
country in q year in baking powder and
otherwise in the preparation of food, is
estimated at ten million pounds. IL this
Iwere 80 per cent purea high estimate
we would consume one million pounds or
more of lime annually as a substitute for
bread. So large deterioration becomes
appreciable in the deprivation of our food
!; of a portion gifts nntritive elements not
only, but If, as is now supposed, this ex-
cess of lime taken into the system has a
relation 10 the painful affections of the
kidneys so prevalent in this country. its
bearing upon the health of the entire
t community is too important TO be over
Z | looked.
The new process hv which cream OF
tartar is produced 100 per cent pure
that is, with the lime totally eliminated,
, by treating the crude material under
pressure instead Of using any chemicals
whatever for the purpose, was the dis
coyery originally of q German chemist,
but has been developed and perfected By
the Royal Baking Powder Company OF
this city, through whose efforts few
years since iH behalf OF high standard
Of pnrity in food, the public was rid 81
the poisonous alum baking powders at
: that time so prevalent
The determination of this Company to
place upon the market only absolutely
pure goods, aud the impossibility OF do
: ing this from the cream Of tartar Of corn
n nerce, made it apparent thai some new
method must be sought BY which cream
: OF tartar could be procured In large guam
! titles, free from line and chemically
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