The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-28
FLOUR TESTING AT THE MILLS.
Pains Taken to Secure Uniform
and Pure Quality.

anu MEC
From the Minneapolis CMinn.) Times.
The one dominant purpose of the large
Minneapolis milling concerns is to attain
an unvarying uniformity of product.
When a given brand Of flour is placed on
the market there as no variation in the
quality of that brand of flour at any sub
sequent time. In order to make this pos
tive condition and not merely a much
desired but unattainabe ideal a most elab-
crate system is in force. This system has
its centre in the chemical laboratory
which at the Consolidated is under the
charge of Mr. Foster. Here samples of
-four are tested by every known means,
to learn about every possible quality that
-four possesses There are two small roll
er mills right in the laboratory which are
run by am independent dynamo, and these
are used solely to grind samples of wheat.
Whenever a lot of wheat is purchased
by the mills a sample of that wheat is
ground in the laboratory before a kernel
of it goes TO the mill. 1t is the aim to test
the flour ahead of the mill 50 that any
defect may be remeded before the flour
leaves the premises. The old method test
ed after the mill and flour was in this
way sent out before its defects were dis
covered if it CHANGED to have any.
The flour from the mills is tested every
hour, and samples from the mills of out
side concerns in the city are tested daily
for purposes of comparison.
When a sample is tested the amount and
quality of the starch, gluten, fats pro
teids and other constituents are deter
mined by a wide variation In the samples,
though they are much more uniform in
this respect this year than usual.
From each sample Of -four bread is al
so baked, and for this purpose a fully
equipped kitchen presided over by two in
telligent girls is maintained in connec-
ton with the laboratory. But the bread
you should see that bread; your mother
even never made any like it. 1t is literal
ly as light as a feather. Each loaf weighs
exactly seventeen ounces and is made
from twelve ounces of -four. 1t Is raised
to death and not made for consumption, 3"
as Mr.. Foster explained It certainly could
not seem lighter if it were actually hol-
low 1t is baked in this way to test for
the starch and raising qualities. Each par
ticle of starch pops like popcorn.
The varying values Of the different wheat
samples as food when once ascertained af-
ford a basis on which to proceed in max
ing up a mixture which shall result when
ground in -four of a predetermined quail
ity. This mixing of different lots of wheat
to bring the whole up to certain stand
ard is called blending"
After the samples have been tested each
one is flied away and kept for a period of
seven months; a proceeding made neces-
sary by the rascality of men who try to
palm off inferior flours on the market by
refilling barrels and sacks of firms OF es-
tablished reputation An instance of this
kind occurred a short time ago when a
complaint was registered against a certain
Minneapolis flour of gilt-edged repute.
Samples of the unsatisfactory -four were
secured and compared with the preserved
sample of flour which was originally pack
ed in the sacks in question, and it was
shown that the flour had never seen Mime
apolis before The matter was traced up
and a certain miller In Iiliaois had been
refiTling Minnea polls sacks with his own
flour ground from inferior Illinois wheat.
Flours on the market are found to con-
tain adulterations of corn and rice, and it
is in part to detect frauds of this nature
on the public and to protect the good name
of Minneapolis flour that this testing is
going on constantly.