St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-06

in our neighboring states, where hereto
fore large quantities of spurious cheese
has been made, laws have been enacted
which operate against this nefari
Gus traffic. Thus every good
law, well and faithfully eXecu-
ted, has a double compensation.
| now desire to call attention to the
subject of baking powders. 1t is most
interesting and prolific subject-a sub
Ject oyer which. fear, ''doctors will
always disagree" Nevertheless, there
is much valuable food for reflection in
baking powders. By glancing at the
table OF baking powders it will be noticed
that for October and November | ana
lyzed thirty-four samples. Let us now in
quire into the character of these pow
ders. Eighteen of the samples were
pure, Or proved what they were sold for,
and sixteen were adulterated. 1t will
thus be seen that AZ per cent of the
BAKING POWDERS WHICH COME
within my jurisdiction for analysis were
adulterated. They may be classed as
follows:
Cream of tartar powders, containing tar
taric acid; cream of tartar powders. contain
ing carbonate Of ammonia; acid phosphate
baking powders; alum baking powders, and
alum phosphate baking pow ders.
There are serious difficulties which
confront the analystin arriving at defin-
lite conclusions with reference to the
keeping qualities of the various brands
Of baking powders. Those who have
made the subject of baking powders a
study, know the composition of those
powders, and their prOnenesS to deteri-
Grafton after manufacture. If the length
of time since the manufacture of the
baking powder could be accurately as
.certained of the dealer by the collector.
it would be valuable data in the final
summing-up Of the analysis.
The three samples of baking powder
analysed are classified as follows:
Cream of tartar powders. ...:....
Cream of tartar powders, containing tar
tarlc acid .......... 49,. =. ....... =. =.
Cream Of tartar powders, containing car
bonate OF ammonia Observation-Disclosures.
ACID hosphate powders. ]
alum powders, ,.............. 1
Alum phosphate powders ............ .....16
Total number ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "a
From the foregoing
TABLES OF ANALYSES,
we are enabled TO make the following
deductions:
Less than Is per cent of the powders
analysed were a strictly cream of tartar
powder. Eighteen per cent of the cream
of tartar powders contained tartaric
acid Which may be expressed in
terms of potassium bi-tartaric,
making a neutral tartrate of
calcium. Six per cent of those powders
contained ammonia earhonate-an in
gredient in baking powders now recog-
nized by nearly all medical and scien-
tific men as being harmless. There was
but one true acid phosphate powder.
Some exception might be taken to this
powder, owing to the undue amount of
calcium phosphate present. Twelve
per cent of the powders under inveSti-
CATION were alum. not in ANY very vari-
able quantity. The alum phosphate
powder predOminateS, the percentage
It aching forty-seVen.
10 arrive at an intelligent and definite
conclusion, and to compass the diff
culties attending the examination Of the
relative value. of baking powders, a
standard by which to judge the others
as Profs. Mallett, Cornwall, Wiley,
Champion and McGiIl recommend that
an ideal powder can be compounded by
taking mixture in equivalent proper
tons of cream of tartar and bi-carbonate
of soda. For many years before the in
PRODUCTION OF the compound baking
powders cream of tartar and bi-carbon-
ate of soda were sold by all grocers. and
the mixture made by the intelligent
housewife or COOK.
VINEGAR.
The vinegar found and for sale in our
markets may be claSSed as cider, white
wines. or low wines colored, malt and
imitation of matt. One hundred and
Twenty-Five samples were analysed dur
ing the months of October and Noyem-
Der. Elghty-nlne were represented and
sold or furnished to our inspectors as
cider vinegar. Fifty-four,o or COPPER cent of
the number represented as cider vinegar
proved by analysis to be such. Thirty
four or 40 per cent were colOred low
wine vinegars. Twenty-seven Or 80 per
cent of the cider vinegars were Illegal
in that they were deficient either in
acidity or in the solid residue. Twenty
four or 66 per cent OF the c0iOred low
wine vinegars lacked in acidity.
Exceptions have been taken by some
of the manufacturers of cider vinegar to
the classification made as 4 result of the
analyses of these So-caled cider vine
CARS, the manufacturers holding that i'll
every instance the samples anaiyZed
were real cider vinegar. do not ques-
ton their right to aSSeverate that these
were real vinegars. This | do. how
ever, maintain: The samples analysed
were not honest vinegarS any more than
cOngi0meratiOn of rancid, refuse but
colored with annoto and repacked, and
branded somebody's creamery or dairy
butter, is genuine, honest butter. Or
skinned cheese filled with decomposed
fats and rancid butter. and branded
''full cream cheese" is an honest
cheese. They each and ali of them de-
serve TO be cla5Sed among fraud food
products.
In view of these facts, and notwith-
standing the resolutions passed by the
Northwestern Cider Vinegar association
at Chicago, the analyst cannot ignore or
waive the chemical tests laid down by
well-recogniZeda authorities on the analy-
sis of yinegarS.
LIQUORS.
In the examination of alcoholic and
malt beverages there has not been
found the amount of adulteration detri-
mental TO the public health which one
would naturally suppose. Beer is ex-
eeptionallY free from SOphistication.
Whisky in manyinstances has an undue
amount of fusel oil. This can be ac-
counted for in measure in that it has
not the proper age. As will be seen by
referring to the table of liquors, there is
some watering and the coioring of
whisky with caramel.