St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-09
DoCToRED PRoVENDER.
Many OF the Things We Eat Are
ArtificiaIlv COfOpeh

Maay OF the Things We Eat Are
Artiiicially Coiored.
The most universally colored article
is butter (says Food. Drugs and DRINK,
and 1t may with great confidence be as
serted that there is hardly pound of
butter sold at the present time in this
country which has not been doctored.
mostly by the aid OF a harmless vege-
table colOring matter-annatto-in
order to impart to such butter rich
golden color. Butter naturally varies
much III color, according to the season,
the breed of the cow, and mainly it's
food; and it is but rarely the natural
butter possesses the color to which the
public is now accustomed. The desire
OF those who introduced this admiXture
was obviously to make their product APP
pear richer and more entlcing to the
eye than nature had intended. One
after the other the rest of the butter
merchants had to follow suit.
SauSageS, both meat and skin, are
dyed with anilne colors. for the purpose
OF hiding the color of unhealthy or stale
meat which may have been used. Jams,
especially plum jam, are generally dyed
with aniline cOl0rs, and sugar confec-
tionary is hardly ever without such arti-
fetal dye. Ale is darkened with burnt
sugar, as also are brandies and Whis-
kies.
1t must be admitted that in by far the
majority OF these cases the color used is
entirely harmless, and has no influence
upon the health of the consumer. Yet
there are number of anime colorS
when are positively poisonous, even
when pure. Such cOlOrS are Dicric acid
and its salts, MartiuS yellow, safranine,
methylen blup, dinitrocreSol. and
aufantia. Others. unobiectionabe in
themselves, become poisonous owing to
their mode of manufacture, which leaves
III the products poisonous impurities,
such as arsenic (rarely), salts of copper,
tin or zinc.
The manufactured sausages or jams
has not the least idea whether the col
ors he uses may not belong to one or
other OF the above, to which doubtless
many others could be added, and even if
the quantity Of color consumed by one
individual may be exceedingly small, it
IS probably evident tnat no such manu-
facturer should have the right to use
such cOlorS. Almost every civilized
country has passed legislative measures
regulating the use of colors such as
those referred to, but England, the
mother of all adulterati0n acts, has
done nothing, and has in this, as in
many other points concerning the sale
of food and drink, remained far behind
most other nations, even including the
squabbiing South American republics.
Milk is also generally colored by the
milkman. Here the object is plain.
Watered milk assumes. as is well
known, the tell-tale sky-blue color
which at once betrayS that the milk has
been tempered with. 10 hide this the
blue milk is again arhficially provided
by means or yellow solution of color
with rich, creamy appearance. TO
hide the original fraud the second de-
ception Is practiced.
Mustard, especially that which has
been adulterated with -four, which in
consequence also would look sickly
pale, is brought up to the original color
OF genuine mustard by the addition of
turmeric. and a similar practice is be-
ginning to be adopted in the pepper
trade.