Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-20
DANGEROUS FOOD ADULTERATIol
The Fraudulent Use of Alum and Lime
in Cheap Baking Powders.

The Fraudulent Use of Alum and Lime
in Cheap Baking Powders.
II consumers prefer to buy an adulterated
article OF food because it can be had at q
lower price, they undoubtedly have the
right to do, provided the adulterants are
not OF q character injurious to health. II
such articles are not falsely sold as pure
and the customer is not deceived as to
their real character, the transaction is not
Legitimate.
But the great danger in the traffic in
adulterHted food arises from the deception
that is practicsd by manufacturers usu-
ally chasing such goods as pure. This is
almost invariably done when the adulter-
ant is one that is injurious tt health. For
instance, manufacturers of alum and
lime baking powders not only fail to inform
the public of the real character of their
goods, but carefully conceal the fact that
they are made from these poisonous arti
cles. Most OF these manufacturers also
claim that their articles are pure and
wholesome, while some 60 still further and
proclaim boldly that they are cream OF
tartar goods, or even the genuine Royal
Baking Powder itself. No consumer will
buy alum baking powders knowingly, for it
is well understood that they are detri- |
mental to health. The sale OF lime and |
alum baking powders as pure and whole
some articles is, therefore, criminal, and it
ID satisfactory to notice that several per-
sons engaged in such sale have already |
been brought to justice in tie courts.
The official analysts nave recently been
active in the pursuit Of these dishonest
articles. 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
found. 1t is a suggestive fact that no bak-
ing powder except the Royalhas been found
without either lime or alum, and many
contain both. DR.. Prices baking powder
mas been found to contain nearly IL per
cent. OF lime; Cleveland's II per cent. of
impurities; the phosphate powders over 10
per cent of lime.
The chief service OF lime is to add
weight. It is true that lime, when sub
lected to heat, gives of q certain amount
carbonic acid gas, I ut q quick-lime is
left-a caustic OF most powerful nature. A
quantity OF dry lime upon the
tongue, or in the eye, produces painful
how much more serious must Il. ese
effects be on the delicate membranes of the
stomach, intestines and kidneys, more
OF infants and children, and
especially when the lime is taken into the
system day after day, and with almost
avery meal. This is said by physicians to
be one OF the causes OF indigestion, dys-
oepsia, and those painful diseases OF the
kidneys now SO prevalent.
Adulteratinu with lime is quite as much
20 be dreaded as with alum, which has
heretofore received the most emphatic
from food analysts, pby.i-
'ians and chemists, for the reason that,
While alum may be partially dissolved BY !
he heat OF baking it is impossible to de-
troy or change the nature OF the lime so 4
hat the entire amount in the baking DOW .
Ter passes, with all it's injurious proper. :
les, into the stomach. I'D I
The large profits from the manufacture {
u lime and alu.r baking powders has '
'laced many OF them in the market. They t
re to be found in the stock OF almost f
very retail dealer, and are urged upon t
ustomers calling for baking powders upon il
occasions. Becau-e OF their %well-knovn j
character it is desirable that b
ronpt means be taken to suppress their b
9
Pure baking powders are one of the chief =
ids to the cook in preparing perfect and d
rholesone food. While those are to be OBJ q
aind OF we~llestsblished reputation, like Z
Royal, OF whose purity there has never Q
cen a question, it is proper to avoid all n
theirs. v