The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-04-01
TNe,c YOrk, Tribune. |


Discoveries of much importance on ac-
count of the relation they bear toward
more wholesome food supply, and conse-
quently upon the public health, have been
recently made in the process of refining
cream of tartar. Cream of tartar as is well
known, is bitartrate of potassa purified
from the crude tartar, or argol which col
lects in a crystalline deposit upon the bot
tom and sides of wine casks during the fer
mentation of the wine. This tartar, in its
crude state, contains lime and other impuri-
ties, which no process of refining known
prior to that here described was able to en-
tirely remove. 1t has been possible il 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-
teal purposes; but it was open to Sc
rious objection in view of the fact that the
chemicals employed for this purpose were
not always washed out, but remained in
quantities that We're uncertain and prejudi-
cial to its quality. The supposed impossi-
bilty of removing the lime has, accordingly,
caused cream of tartar to be classed and
sold as pure when it did not contain more
than five per cent of this impurty. The
major part, however, of that used in COM
merce. or for culinary purposes, contains
the tartrate of lime to an extent much
greater than five per cent, not infrequently
being found, upon analysis, debased to a
degree equaling one-fourth or more ofits en-
tire weight
In a report upon the subject of food adul-
iteration made to the New York State Board
of Health by Professors Chandler and Love,
ii is stated that of twenty-seven samples OF
cream of tartar bought from dealers as pure
sixteen were aduterated with various sub
stances from three to ninety-three per cent,
while of the remainder all contained tartrate
of lime, some as high as 1919 per cent.
The serious character of this adulteration
is more readily appreciated when it is recol-
lected 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, super
seding the old-fashioned yeast for all
| leavening purposes so that it is employed
to some extent in almost every meal of
which we eat. The amount of cream of
tartar used in this country in year in
| baking powder and otherwise in the prepar-
alton of food, is estimated at ten million
pounds. If this were ninety per cent pure
a high estimate-we would consume one
| million pounds or more of lime annually as
a substitute for bread. So large a deteriora-
ton becomes apprecable in the deprivation
of our food of a portion of its nutritive ele-
ments not only, but If, as is now supposed
this excess of lime taken into the system
has relation to the painful affections OF
the kidneys so prevalent in this country, its
bearing upon the health of the entire com
munity is too important to be overlooked.
The new process by which cream Of tartar
is produced one hundred per cent pure
that is, with the lime totally eliminated
by treating the crude material under pres
sure instead of using any chemicals what