The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-04-05
Dangerous Bread Aou ter lion.

Tile FRA USE OF MUM AND
LIME IN CHEAP BAKING POWDER.
If consumers prefer To bu. in adulter-
ated article Of food beca. IL can Tt had
at a lower price they undoubtedly have the
right to do SO, provided The adulteianls are
not of a character injurious 10 health. If
such articles are not falst y sold as pure
and the customer is not deceived as TO
their real character, the transaction is net
illegitimate.
But the great danger in the traffic in
adulterated food arises from the deception
that is practlced by maIulacJ lrers usually
CHASING such goods as pure. This is al
most invariably done when The adulterant
is one that is Injurious to health. For
instance. manufacturers OF alum and lime
baking powders not only fail to inform the
public of the character of their goods, but
carefully conceal the fact that they are
made from these poisonous article, Most
+ of these manufacturers also claim that
| their articles are pure and wholesome,
while some go still further and proclaim
boldly that they are cream OF tartar goods,
or even the genuine Royal Baking
Powder itself. n consumer will buy alum
baking powders knowingly, for it is well
understood that they are detrimental to
health The sale of lime and alum baking
/ powders as pure and wholesome articles is,
therefore, criminal, and it is satisfactory
to notice that several persons engaged in
such sale have aIaeady been brought to
Justice in the courts.
The official analysts have recently been
active in the pursuit Of these dishonest ar
ticles The baking powders of several
States have been carefully and critically
examined The officials are surprised at
the large amount of lime and alum goods
| r &c fix,n 70 nj hoe
baking powder except the Royal has been
| found without either lime or alum, and
many contain both. DR.. Prices baking
powder has been found TO contain nearly
| Il per cent of lime; Cleyeland's L per
cent. of impurities: the phosphate powders
over II per cent OF lime.
The chief service of lime is to add weight.
1t is true that lime, when subjected to
heat, gives off certain amount CT carbonic
acid gas, but a quicklime is left-a caustic
of most powerful nature. A small guam
| ity of dry lime upon the tongue. or in the
eye, produces painful effects, how much
more serious must these effects be on the
delicate membranes OF the stomach. mites
tines and kidneys, more particularly OF
infants and children, and especially when
the lime is taken into the system dayafter
day. and with almost every meal. This is
said by physicians to be one of the causes
of indigestion. dyspepsia, and those pain
| fuldiseases of the kidneys now soprevalent.
AduIteration with lime is quite as much
to be dreaded as with alum. which has
heretofore received the most emphatic
condemnation from food analysts, physi
clans and chemists, for the reason that,
while alum may be partially dissolved by
the heat of baking it is impossible to de-
stroy or change the nature of the lime so
that the entire amount in the baking pow
der passes with all its injurious proper
ties. into the stomach.
The large profits from the manufacture
of lime and alum baking powders has
placed many of them in the market. They
are to be found in the stock of almost every
retail dealer. and are urged upon custom.
ers calling for baking powders upon all oc
casions. Because of their well-known det-
rlmental character it is desirable that
prompt means be taken to suppress their
manufacture.
Pure baking powders are one of the chief
aids to the cook in preparing perfect and
wholesome food While those are to be
obtained of well established reputation,
like the Royal, of whose purity there has
never been a question, it is proper to avoid
all others.