The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-09-28
FOOD FRAUDS.
Tho Shameful Use of Lime nnd Alum In
Cheap Baking Powders,

Tho Shameful Us0 of Limo nnd Alum In
Cheap Baking Powders,
Many food frauds such as chicory col.
fec or waterpd milk, although they are a
swindle in a commercial tense, are often
tolerated because they do not particularly
Rtfec. tho health Of the consumer; but
when an article like baking powder, that
enters largely into the food OF every fam.
lily, and Is relied upon for the healthtul
preparation CT almost every meal, is 80
made as. to carry highly injurious, II not
rankly poisonous, elements into the bread
to the imminent danger Of the entire com.
munity, 1t Ia the duty OF the press to de.
nounce the practice In the most emphatic
terms.
Among recent important discoveries by
the food analysis Is that by Prof, Mott, the
United States government chemist, Of
large amounts oe limo and alum in the
cheap baking powders. These are, one the
most dangerous, and the other the
most useless adulteranta yet found In the
low.grade, inferior baking powders. II
Ia q startling fact that over one hundred
different brands oil baking powders 80 far
analysed, comprising all those sold In this
vicinity, not one Of them, with the single
exception Of the Royal Baking Powder,
was found free from both lime and alum,
The chief service Of lime is 10 add weight
II 10 true that lilge, when subjected 10
heat, gives Of certain amount Of carbon.
ic acid gas, but a quick.lime Is lett-a
caustiC so powerful that II 10 used by tan.
ners 10 eat the hair from hides Of ami.
mails, and In disseCting rooms TO mora
quickly rot the flesh from the bones OF
dead subjects. 4 email quantity Of dry
lime upon the tongue, or ii the eve, PRO.
duces painful efeCts; how much
more serious must these effects be on the
delicate membranes Of the stomach, mites.
tines and kidneys, more particularly Of
inIRntu snd childrpn, and especial.
ly when the lime ls taken into the system
day after day, and with almoat every meal.
This Is said by physicians to be one Of the
CHIEF Gauges Of indlgeetian, dyspepsia, and
those painful diseases OF the kidneys now
30 prevalent. Instances Of the most seri.
ouB affections OF the latter organs from
drinking lime water found In some sec.
ti9u0 d the West arc noted in every medl.
cal ournal
4dulteratIon with lime Ia quite as much
TO be dreaded 40 With alum, which has
heretofore received the most emphatic
condemnation from every food analyst,
physician and chemist, for the reason that,
while alum 10 probably partially
dissolved aud passed Oh In gSs
by the heat Of baking, It 10 impoSSl.
Bile to destroy OF change the nature OF
the lime In any degree, 60 that Tho entire
amount In the baking powder passes, with
all ia Injurious properties, into the
stomach. When we state that the chem.
lists have found twelve per cent or one.
eighth Of tho entire weight Of some sam.
piss d bakigg powder Analysed, TO be
lime, the ylCkedhess oil the adulteratioh
will be fully apparent.
Pare baking powders arc ono Of the
phiel aids 10 tho cook In preparing perfect
and wholesome food. While th6ls arc
TO he obtained Of well.establlahed feputa.
lion, like the Royal, Of whose purity there
has never been and cannot DO q question,
L 10 proper 10 avoid all otherg.