Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-12-17
FOOD FRAUDS.
The Shameful use of Lime and Alum
in Cheap Baking Powders.

Many food frauds such as schicory cof-
fee or watered milk, although they are
a swindle in commercial sense, are Of
ten tolerated because they do not par
ticularly affect the health of the con-
sumner; but when an article like baking
powder, that enters largely into the
food Of every family, and is relied up
on for the healthful preparation of al
most every meal, is so made as to carry
highly injurious if not rankly poisonous
elements into the bread to the eminent
danger of the entire community, it is
the duty of the press to emphaticalIy
denounce the manufacturers whose
avarice has prompted them to such
diabolical operations.
Among recent important discoveries
by the food analysts is that by Prof.
Mott, the U. s. Government Chemist,
of large amounts of lime in the cheap
baking powders. This is, if not the
most dangerous, certainly the most use
less adulterant yet found in the low
grade, inferior baking powders. 1t is a
startling fact that of over one hundred
different brands of baking powder so
far analyzed, comprising all those sold
in this vicinity, not one of them, with
the single exception of the Royal Bak-
ing Powder, was found free from both
lime and alum. The chief service of
lime is to add weight. 1t is true that
lime when subjected to heat gives off a
certain amount of carbonic acid gas,
but quick lime is left, caustic SO
powerful that it is used by tanners to
eat the hair from hides of animals, and
in dissecting rooms to more quickly rot
the flesh from the bones Of dead SUBJ
jects. A small quantity of dry lime
upon the tongue, or in the eye, pro-
duces painful effects; how much more
serious must these effects be upon the
delicate membranes of the stomach, in
testines. and kidneys, more particular
ly of infants and children, and especial
ly when the lime is taken into the sys-
tenn day after day and with almost
every meal. This is said by physicians
to be one of the chief causes of indiges-
ton, dyspepsia, and those painful
diseases of the kidneys now so preva-
lent. Instances of the most serious af-
fections of the latter organs from drink
| ing lime waters found in some sections
of the west are noted in every medical
journal.
L Adulteration with lime is even more
to be dreaded than with alum, which
has heretofore received the most EN-
phatic condemnation from every food
analyst, physician, and chemist, for the
reason that, while alum is probably
partially dissolved and passed offin gas
by the heat of baking, it is impossible
to destroy orchange the nature Of the
lime in any degree, so that the entire
amount in the baking powder passes,
with all its injurious properties, into
the stomach. When we state that the
chemists have found twelve per cent OF
one-eighth of the entire weight of some
samples Of baking powder analyzed tc
be lime, the wickedness of the adultera.
tion will be fully apparent.
| Pure baking powders are one of the
chief aids to the cook in preparing per,
feet and wholesome food. While those
are to be obtained Of well established
reputation like the Royal of whose
purity there has never been and cannot
be a question, it is proper to avoid all
others.