The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-21
AN IMPORTANT FOOD REFORM.


Tartar-Total Elimination of All Lime I'm
purities-New Discoveries in Refining-A
Long Stride Toward Pure Food.
From the New York Tribune.
Discoveries of much Importance on account of
the relation they bear toward a more wholesome
food supply, and consequently 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 collects
in a crystalline deposit upon the bottom and
sides of wine casks during the fermentation of
the wine. This tartar, in it's crude state, con-
tanS lime and other impurities, which pro-
| cess of refining known prior to that here de-
/ scribed was able to entirely remove. 1t has
been possible it is true to neutralize the
| limo to some extent by the aid of chemicals,
| and this method was resorted to in
I order to procure cream of tartar in small guam
/ titles for pharmaceutical purposes; but it was
open to serious objection in view of the fact that
| that the chemicals employed for this purpose
were not always washed out, but remained in
quantities that were uncertain and prejudicial to
| its quality. The supposed. impossblity of re-
moving the lime has, accordingly, caused cream
of tartar to be classed and sold as pure when it
/ did not contain more than per cent of this
7 impurity. The major part, however, of that
l used in commerce, for culinary purposes,
/ contains the tartrate of lime to extent much
/ greater than per cent, not infrequently being
/ found, upon analysis. debased to degree equal
l.
| In report upon the subject of food adultera-
tion made to the New York State Board of Health
| by Professors Chandler and Love, it is stated
| that of twenty-seven samples of cream of tartar
| bought from dealers as pure, sixteen were adul-
terated with various substances from to SO per
| cent, while of the remainder all contained tar
trate of lime some as high as 10. SO per cent.
| The serious character of this aduiteration 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 dgestible all our biscuit, cake and other
pastry, and is, besides, in many communities
superseding the old fashioned yeast for all leav
| ening 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 a year in baking powder and other
wise in the preparation of food is estimated at
ten million pounds. If this were 80 per cent.
| pure-a 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 portion of its nutritive elements 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 community is too important to be over
| looked
| The new process 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
| discovery originally of a 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 of a
| high standard of purity in food the public was
rid of the poisonous alum baking powders at the
| time prevalent.
| The determination of this company TO place
upon the market only absolutely pure goods, and
flo, of Hnfr
tartar of commerce, made it apparent that some
new method must be sought by which cream of
tartar could be procured in large quantities, free
| from lime and chemically pure. The cream Of
| tartar rehnerS of this country and Europe when
approached upon the subject, declared such
result impossible, and declined to incur the ex-
penditure necessary to make the trial The
| ROYAL Baking Powder Company, accordingly,
resolved to sole the problem for itself; and, hav-
| ing secured the, aid of the best chemists In
Europe and America, proceeded with it's investi
| cations and discoveries until the result, after
| several years of labor and the expenditure of
| over half million dollars in the purchase of
patents. perfecting of processes, and the erection
of buildings and machinery, was reached in the
complete attainment Of the end sought. The
works tnow owned by the New York Tartar Com
! panyl are located in Brooklyn, and exceed in
size and capacity any other similar refinery in
! the world They produce a chemically pure
cream of tartar, which is now exclusively used
| for pharmaceutical preparations and in the man
ufacture of the celebrated Royal Baking Powder
| The energy and outlay that have effected this
will undoubtedly be fully rewarded by the pub
lie, which will chiefly benefit by the successful
issue of the investigations. People are coming
daily to more fully appreciate the value of pure
| and wholesome food. By the exclusive use of
this chemically pure cream of tartar, the Roya.
Baking Powder is produced entirely free from
lime, and absolutely pure, qualities possessed by
| no other baking powder yet made. A baking
powder entirely free from lime or other impurity
must not only contain more strength and leaven-
| ing power, and produce better food, and, there.
fore be more economical for use. but, what is
more important, possess qualities OF superior
wholesomeness.
experiments with much interest, and regard
| their success as a matter of much Importance