The Penn's Grove record., 1901-08-16
PURE FOOD
LAW VIOLATED,
Interesting Facts Concerning the ROASTING
OF Coffee Out by Scientific
Experts-Presence of Bacteria.

oeNe iVtn-Ine Jury in
Judge Meek's court in this city has
found James White, a local grocer.
guilty Of selling aduiterated coffoo
The prosecution was based on n nacl,.
age of Ariosa coffee.
The State of Ohio, through the ppro
Food Commission, prosecuted White
The case was on trial for nearly a
month, and attracted national atten.
ton.
The manufacturers of Ariosa coffeo
conducted the defense for Grocer
White. Attorneys of eminence
were retained to defend him
but after a short consultation a verdict
of guilty was returned by the iurv
The State of Ohio considers this n hio
victory. Pure Food Commissioner
Blackburn has been waging a warfare
on spurious food articles n the de-.
partment has been successful.
The complaint of the State Of Ohio
was that Ariosa coffee was coated with
a substance which concealed defects
in the coffee and made 1t appear better
than it is. The State charged this coat.
ing or glazing was a favorable medium
for the propagation of bacteria.
Prof. G. A. Kirchmaier, of this citv
a well-known chemist, was the nrin.
cipal witness for the State. He tes-
tilted that he had made scientific ex.
aminations of samples of Ariosa
purchased from Grocer White in
the open market, and found that
each berry contained an average
of 800 bacteria. Mr.. Hereinafter
further testified that other cof-
fees he examined contained few bac-
terra or none at all. He declared that
the glazed coffee was not a wholesome
food product.
Chemist Schmidt, of Cincinnati. cor
roborated the testimony of Prof
Kirchmaier. The State did not present
further testimony.
The defense secured some OF
the most eminent chemists and
scientists in the United States
to give testimony in their behalf. Prof
II. w. Wiley, Of the United States
Agricultural Department; Prof.
Vaughn, of Ann Arbor University
Profs. Belle and Weber, of the Ohio
State University, were called to de.
fend Ariosa. DR.. Wiley made a care
full examination of the method of nan
ufacturing. He told Of the 10,
100000 eggs used yearly in the prepar.
alton of this glazing. On this point
in cross-eXamination. the States at
torney deity drew from him the in.
formation that these eggs might be
kept in cold storage for a year or two
at a time.
The experts who heard DR.. Wiley's
testimony were pleased to listen
to so famous a chemist. The
doctor at one point In his testimony
explained very clearly how it is that
the egg put into the coffee pot by
the housewife settles the coffee. He
said that the heat coagulates the egg,
and as it sinks to the bottom of the
pot it carries the fine particles of
coffee with it, and thus clarifies the
drink. 1t is the act of c%oagulation in
the coffee pot that does the work.
Later on in his cross examination, he
admitted that when the egg was
put on Ariosa coffee at the factory it
became c%oagulated. and as egg cannot
be coagulated but once, that the coat
ing on coffee was practically no value,
as a settler" when it reached the
coffee pot.
Professor Wiley acknowledged that
the glazing might be q favorable
medium for the propagation Of bac-
terra, although he would not testify
positively either way because he was
not a bacteriologist.
Professor Vaughn, of Ann Arbor.
also a witness for the defense, said
he found bacteria on Ariosa coffee.
Professor Belle, another witness for
the defense, testified he found any
number of lively bacteria on Ariosa
coffee he examined, and agreed that
glazed coffee surely was a more favor
able medium for the propagation of
bacteria than unJlazed coffee.
Pure Food Commissioner Blackburn
says; "The State is very much elated
over its victory. We are now consider-
ing the advisability of informing every
grocer in the State of Ohio that it is
an infraction of the laws to sell
Arlosa, and at the same time give
warning to that the coffee
is an adulterated food article"
The verdict of the jury in this case
is of national Importance because a
great many other States have pure
food laws like that of Ohio, n 1t
is natural to suppose that similar ac-
ton will be taken by other Pure Food
Commissioners to prevent the sale OF
glazed cOffees.