Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-19
PROF. WOODS ADDRESS.
An Able Discussion on the Arbitration Of
Food.

At the Wednesday evening SESSION. OF
che Board of Agriculture, Prof. Woods
Director of the Maine Agricultural
experiment Station. gave an address
upon the adulteration of food in which
ne gave examples of some of the more
common forms of adulteration and
sophisticatiOn. The talk was Illus
trafed by specimens of adulterated
goods, particularly spices, condiments,
coffee. fruit" jellies, jams, etc.
1t seems that there has a large trade
sprung up in articles for adulterating
| spices. These goods known in thu
trade as Pepper Dust" or "P. D." are
wonderfully compounded. They cost
three or four cents a pound by the bar
rel, and the enormous profits from this
class of --sophisticatiOns are readily
recognized in comparing these figures
with the prices at which the goods are
sold at retail. Samples of allspice
which We're exhibited were adulteratel
! with sucn materials as spent cloves.
cracker dust, ground shells, charcoal.
mineral color and yellow corn; cayenne
pepper was shown which contained
| rice flour. salt and ship stuff, yellow
| corn. turmeric and mineral red; Gin
| namon adulterated with peas, starch,
| mustard hulls, minerals. cracker dust,
burnt shells, and charcoal; ginger
| made up of various cereals, turmeric.
| mustard hulls. cayenne. peas: black
pepper seemed to contain refuse of all
sorts such as pepper dust, groun1
| crackers. ship stuff, mustard hulls,
charcoal, cocoanut shells, cayenne,
bean bran and yellow corn; mustards
| are adulterated with cereals. starch.
| peas. ginger and gypsum and colored
with furmeric and mineral colors
| Specimens of cream of tartar con-
| tanning 20 per cent. of plaster We're ex-
hibited. Most of the low grade baking
powders contain considerable quanti-
| ties of alum, and many Of them are
adulterated with mountaineering ma
terials. which fact is responsible for
| much of the heavy biscuits, cakes,
etc.
The high grade sugars are prac-
tically free from adulleration. Molas-
ses is. however, fearfully and wonder
fully made. One Maine wholesaler
who purchases four grades of molasses
| is able from these, and glucose, to
| manufacture as many grades as his
customers may demand. A molassas
| or syrup made chiefly of glucose and
| favored with the refuse molasses of a
| refinery makes very attractive article
so far as appearance goes.
Teas are fairly free from adultera-
ton and what occurs is for the most
part intended to enhance the value of
| inferior grades. Coffees and coffee
| preparations, on the other hand. show
that the consumer, and especially the
| poor. are being grossly deceived. Very
little pure ground coffee is sold, and
even whole coffee does not escape
| sophistication. The purchase of green
| coffee for home roasting does not in
| sure the pure product, since even the
green coffee berry is initiated. Speci-
mems of whole roasted coffee" made
| up chiefly of imitation coffee with only
| enough genuine coffee to give it
slight coffee flavor were exhibited.
The ground coffees are largely adul-
terated with peas, chicory and imita-
| ton coffee made from wheat mid
dlings.
In canned vegetables and fruit the
principal risks to health are those due
| to the use of representatives. or to the
presence of copper, tin, lead and zinc.
Lead is extremely poisonous and tin is
also poisonous. AS to the preserva-
tives in common use of which salicylic
acid may be taken as a type and the
| salts of copper and zinc, their toxic
action is not yet definitely known. 1t
is known. however, that they have a
marked physiological action and are all
more or less potent medically. In
large quantities they create very evil
dent temporary symptoms of poison
ing: in the quantities in which they
| occur in canned foods, their effect is at
the best uncertain. They may be
innocuous-they may not be. Much
evidence can be collected to prove
either side of the question. Any food
which contains them should be clearly
| and distinctly labeled with the fact
expressed in distinct language. If
! there is any fact clearer than another,
it is that no man has any right to adj
minister surreptitiously to any other
man more or less powerful drug
Every man has the right to knowledge
| of the fact of being drugged, unless he
valves this right in favor of a physi-
| clan. Even here the law steps in and
| insists that this physician shall be a
member of recognized school.
SaHcyiic acid which may be taken as a
| type of these additions is valued
| medicine in many cases, is one of the
| best known remedies for rheumatism,
and is believed never to have caused
death in any dose, but this is no justi-
| fication for its use. If any man desires
| to have salieylic acid in his food, there
| is no doubt of his right to have it
since it is not sufficiently violent
| poison to warrant government forbid
ding him. hut there is also no doubt Of
the fact that the Gamer has no right
| to admix it surrepitiously. The same
arguments may be repeated almost
word for word in the case of copper.
The fruit jeliies. catsups, ETC.,
afford an interesting field of adultera-
| ton. Samples of grape. strawberry,
raspberry and other jellies were ex-
| hibited which were absolutely free
| from either fruit or jeny. being made
up of starch paste. sweetened with
glucose. colored with coal tar dyes:
favored with chemicals and preserved
! with salicylic acid. Many Of the cat
sups and continental sauces are
colored with coal tar or other dyes and
| preserved with salicylic or benzoin
acids.
| The remedy for this evil is to be