The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1886-09-23
FOOD FRAUDS.
The Shameful Use of Lime and Alum in
Cheap Baking Powders.

The Shameful Use of Lime and Alum in
Cheap Baking Powders.
Many food frauds, such as chicory
coffee or watered milk, although they
are a swindle in comm ercial sense,
are often tolerated because they do
not particularly affect the health of
the consumer; but when an article
like baking powder, that enters
largely into the food of every family,
ana is relied upon for th9 healthful
preparation of'almost every mea', is
so made as TO carry highly injurious,
it not rankly POISONOUS, elements in
TO the bread to the imminent danger
Of the entire community, it is the
duty Of the press TO denounce the
practice in the most emphatic terms.
Among recent important discover
les 1yy the food analysts is that by
Prof. Mott, the y. S. Government
Chemist, of large amounts of lime
and alum in the cheap baking low
derS. hose are, one the most dan
gerous, and the other the most use
less adulterants yet found in tho
low-grade, inferior baking powders.
1t is a Startling fact that of over one
hundred different brands Of baking
powders so far analysed, comprising
all those sold in this vicinity, not
one of them, with the single eXcep-
ton of the Royal Baking 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-a caustic SO
powerful that it is used by tanners
to eat the hair from hides of ami
mails, and IN dissecting room to more
quickly rot the flesh from the bones
of dead subjects. "A small quantity
of dry lime upon the tongue, or in
the eye, produces painful effects !;
how much more serious must these
effects he Oh the delicate membranes
Of the stomach, intestines and kid
neys, more particularly of infants
and children, and especially when tie
lime is taken.into tie system day after
day, and with almost every meal.
This is said by physicians to be one
of the chief causes of indigestion,
dyspepsia: and those painful diseases
Of the kidneys now so prevalent. In
stances Of the most S rious affections
of the latter organs from drinking
lime water found in some sctions Of
the west are noted in every medical
Journal.
Adultcration with lime is quite as
much to he dreaded as alum which has
heretofore received the IN ost empIiut-
ic condemnation from every food
analyst, physician and chemist, for
the reason that, while alum is MN, ;,5.
ably partially dissolved. passed
off in gas by the heat of baking, it is
Impossible to destroy or change 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. or one-eightli
of the entire weight OF sorae sam
pies of baking powder analysed, to be
lime, the wickedress Of the adulter-
alton will be fully apparent.
Pure baking powders are one of
the chief aids to the cook in prepar-
ing sperfect and wholesome food.
While those are to be obtained of
weil-cstablished reputation, like the
Royal, Of whose putty there has
never been and cannon he question,
it is proper to avoid all others.