Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-01-18

are caused by chemicals used in the
manufacture of flour, sugar and
other articles of diet
Mr.. Baker says the secret of sep
arating starch from corn, formerly
possessed by only three men in the
United States, himself being one,
has now become known to millers
and sugar refiners and that corn
starch is being used in the adulter-
alton of flour and sugar.
The chemical employed in the
manufacture of starch for an adul-
terant, however, in the opinion of
Mr.. Baker. is allowed to remain in
the food products, the makers OF
which cannot utilize it for such pur-
poses if the chemical is removed.
The discOverer of these adulter-
ations has been making experiments
at his residence, Downer's Grove,
ever since a member of his family
remarked at the dinner table that
the OdOr of starch was noticeable in
bread that was being eaten.
In his laboratory Mr.. Baker has
dozens of fluids of various colors
which he says are acids extracted
from bread and sugar and from meat
purchased at Chicago packing plants.
Sulphuric acid, he AYERS, forms
large part of the chemical compound
of the flour and sugar adulterant
and salicylic acid, he declares, is
largely used in preserving beef and
other meats in apparently good con
ditiOn for long periods.
1T is my honest belief" said Mr..
Bayer yesterday, that many of the
sudden and mysterious deaths that
occur in various parts of the country
of late years can be attributed to
authorizations of food supplies. The
poisonous acids used by manufac
turers do not all pass out of the hui
man system, but at times probably
collect in sufficient quantities to
cause death.
Il have examined many samples Of
bread and sugar. coming from prac
tically all the mills and refineries in
the. country, and L am able to state
with the utmost pOsitiveness that
the product of no flour mill or sugar
refinery in the country that 1 have
examined is altogether pure. Some
of the flour is adulterated % per
cent.
adulterate their product 1 attribute
to an agreement in recent years
among manufacturers, for makers OF
pure articles could not afford TO COM
pete with those who put impure
goods on the market
The destructive nature of the
chemicals used. Mr.. Baker says, can
be appreciated when it is recalled
that in former times physicians en-
ployed the acids of which the chem
icals are composed to destroy can
GERS and cauterize wounds. Sui
phuric acid, he says, in its pure state
is strong enough to eat into iron.
Glucose, from which sugar and
imitation honey is largely made, is
produced by separating the sweet
part of cane from the starch. Mr..
Baker does not know how the mills
and refineries make adulterants for
their products, but says if he were
to seek the results achieved he would
proceed in the manner he lays down
in the following, which he wrote up
on request:
Say | want to make glucose or
sugar. There is starch in wheat and
starch in corn. the quantity being
about equal. and as corn usually
costs about half as much as wheat ]
shall use corn. L could get the
starch wrom wheat by Instrumentation
process, but starch cannot be obtain
ed from corn without the use of
chemicals. The process:
Il draw into watts warm water and
add a strong caustic, alkaline chem
Il lna %
secret of that composition). fill the
watts with corn to soak, soften aHd
ferment for three or four days, draw |
off the water and convey to the mill
to grind wet. l let into the mill with
the corn a small stream of water |
and the corn passes from the mill to
copper bolt, or revolving sieve, |
then into rollers.
For brevity. we will say that the |
corn is ground twice, and rolled |
twice, and passes through two sets
of copper bolts and two sets of silk |
bolts. stream of water runs
though with the corn into each set |
of machinery to wash out the starch,
gluten, albumen and oil from the |
chit and bran. which pass off to the |
feed tank.
Il keep this liquid in motion twelve
hours, draw into other watts, add
more water, stir up well and let IT
stand another twelve hours to set
tie. The starch, being the heavier
body, will be found on the bottom of
the vat in hard, compact mass,
with the gluten and albumen on top.
which we take off.
''Te oil having been destroyed by
the chemicals we would now have
left only starch and chemicals. If [
wished to make laundry or corn
starch / would continue the washing
out process, until the matter was en-
tirely freed from all chemicals.
'As it is not starch that I want,
but glucose or sugar, L add more