Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-07-18
AN IMPORTANT FOOD REFORM.
Production of Chemically rure Cream Tartar-Total Elimination of all Lime Impurities-New Discover les in Rsfning-A Long
 Stride Toward
 Pure Food.

Lime 1mpur1ttes-New Discover les in Rshning-A Long Stride Toward
 Pure Food.
 (Sew York Tribune)
 Discoveries of much importance on
 account of the relation they bear to- ward more wholesome,food supply and consequently upon the public health, have been recently made m the process of refining cream of tartar. Cream of tartar, as is well known, IS a bitartrate of potassa purified from the crude tar tar, or argol, which collects in crystal line deposit 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 known prior to that here described was able to entirely re- move. It has been possible, it is true, to Deutralize the lime to some extent by the Md of chemicals, and this meth cd was resorted to Tn order to procure cream tartar ID small quantities for pharmaceutical purposes, but 1t was | open to serious objection in view of the fact that the chemicals employed for this purpose were not, always wash ed out but remained in quantities that were uncertain snd prejudicial to its | quality. The supposed imposslbilty of removing tine lime has, accordingly, dcaused cream of tartar to be classe and sold as pure when 1t did not con tain more than five per cent of this i'm purity. The major part however, of that used III commerce, or for culinary purposes. contsIp5 the tartrste of lime to an extent much greater than five per cent, not lnfrequently being found. upon analysis debased to a degree equslling one-fourth or more of its en- tire weight.
 in report upon the subject of food adulteration made to the New York State Board of Health by Professors Chandler and Love. 1t is stated that of 2 samples of cream of tartar bought from dealers Gs pure l6 were RdulterR- ted with various substances from to 8 per cent, while of the remainder all contained tartrate of lime, some as high as lO.j9 per cent.
 The serious character of this adulter- ation 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 the soda ID baking powder 1t is the chief agent now employed for raising and making light and digestible all our biscuit, cake and other pastry, and Is besides, m many communities, super seding the old-fashIoned yeast for all lesvening purposes, so that 1t is employ.
 d to some extent in almost every meal of which We eat. The amount of cream of tartar used In this country in a year in baking powder and otherwise in the preparation of food, is estimated at ten million pounds. If this were 90 per cent pure-a high estImRte-we would con- sume one million pounds or more of lime annually us substitute for bread. So large Rd eterioratiou becomes Rppre- cisble in the deprivation of our food of portion its neutritive elements, not only, but If, as IS HOW supposed, this ex- cess of lime taken into the system has a relation to the painful affections of the kidneys so prevalent in this country its bearing upon the health of the en- tire community Is too important to be overlooked.
 The new proces by 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 cOvery originally of German chemist, but has been developed and perfected by the Royal Baking Powder Company of this city, through whose efforts few years since in behalf ot the high stand. ard of purity in food the public was rid of the poisonous alum baking powders at that time SO prevalent.
 The determin ation of thls company to l place upon the market only absolutely pure goods, and the impossibility of do- ing this from the cream of tartar of com meroe, made It apparent that some new method must be sought by which cream of tartar could be procured in large l Quanties free from lime and chemically | pure. The cream of tartar refiners of | this country and Europe when ap- preached upon the subject, declared | such a result impossible and declined to | incur the expenditure necessary to make 1 the trial. The Royal Baking Powder | Company, accordingly resolved to solve | the problem for itself; and having pro- cured the aid of the best chemists of | Europe and America, proceeded with the | investigations and discoveries until the | result, after several years of labor snd | the expenditure of over half 8 million | dollars in the purchase of patents and | the erection of buildings and machinery, | was reached in the complete attainment | of the end sought. The works (now owned by the New York Tartar Co.) are located in Brooklyn, and exceed ID size | and capacity any other similar refinery | In the world. They produce an abso- lutely pure cream of tartar, which IS now exclusively used for phsrmaceuti- cal preparations, and in the msnuisc- ture of the celebrated Royal Baking Powder.
 The energy and outlay that have effect ed this will undoubtedly be fully re- warded by the public which will chiefly benefit by the successful issue of inves- tigations. People are coming daily to more fully appreciate the value of pure and wholesome food. By the exclusive use of the chemically pure cream of tar tar the Royal Baking Powder is produc- ed entirely free from lime and absolute ly pure, qualities possessed by no other baking powders yet made. A baking powder entirely free from lime or other must not only contaIn more strength or leavening power and produce better food and therefore be more eco- nOmical for use but what IS more impor- tant possess qualities of superior whole someness. Chemists snd physicians have looked upon the experiments with much interest and regard lheIr Fuccess ss 6 matter of much importance.
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