Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-03-23
As TO BAK
INC POWDER
A Discussion That il Not an Ad.
yertisemsnt Bat aScientific
Exegisis
AMOUNT CONSUMED
A. & M. College Chemist sends
Ont Bulletin on Important
subject. Make Your
Own Brand

Own Brand
Press Bulletin No. ss.--New Mexico
College of Agriculture and Mechani
cal Arts, and Agricultural Expert
ment station, Mesilla Park.
Introductory.
In recent years the manufacture and
sale Of baking powders has increased
in enormous proportions. According
to d report of tho American Baking
Powder association, the annual sales
in the United States amount to 115,
100000 pounds.
The retail price ranges from III
teen TO fifty cents per pound, The
price per p~ound-baaed IN an aver.
age Of sevepty-slx Of the different
brands sold In tho state Of Connect.
cut during f900-was as follows:
For cream OF tartar powders $40
cents, for phosphate powders, Csc
cents; for alum powders, 24.3 cents,
Estimating the average price Of oil
grades at twenty-five cents per pound,
Ii will be seen that the people Of the
United States used nearly 100000. 900
worth Of baking powder IN 1900. on
this amount New Mexico would use
ssl,5o0 worth.
L~eavsninp Process.
Every housewife knows that In the
baking Of bread some "%leayening' ma
teriai must be added 70 the dough.
This acts by generating d gas, which
In endeayoring 10 escape, rises through
tho dough forming bubbles. These, as
The bread ii baked. become firm and
fixed and the bread Is thus rendered
light and spongy. 50 that Il may be
acted upon by the digestive fluids OF
the stomach. TO lcayen bread either
yeast. or some suitable chemical y
used.
Yeast.
An organized substance, known ms
yeast Is probably the most desirable
material for leayening, since It leaves
no Objectionable residue In the bread,
rs Is often The case when chemicals
are used.
II acts BY the fermentation Of sugar.
and the consequent formation Of car
bonic gas and alcohol, the active agents
In the lcavening process.
The objection TO yeast is that it
acts slowly. and too much time Is re
quired for the dough to rise to suit
i modern quick.meal methods Of
cooking. and some chemicals that act
more rapidly are often substituted for
II.
Chemicals.
In using chemicals to leaven. the
principle is The same as when yeast
ii used. thar III the generation Of gas
In the dough. A number Of different
chemicals may BIO used, but they all
depend upon The reaction Of an aka.
line carbonate tsoda) with IN acid,
tsour miik), and an acid salt, tcream
OF tartar or neutral salt (aium). which
has the power 70 react with the aka.
line carbanote In the presence 81 mois
ture.
Cooking soda (sodium hicarbonatcl
Ii the alkaline carbonate that Is a.
most universally used TO furnish the
gas.
Sour milk. tartaric acid. cream Of
tartar. acid phosphate Of lime. and
alum are some Or The acid materials"
generally used 70 react with soda and
libera,e the gas
Where the acid material Is not a
solid. az iii The case or sour milk. IT
cannot 81 MIXED with the soda until.
ready for nse. Manufactured baking
powders contain soda and acid ma
terisIs, ready mixed III the proper pro.
portion % produce the best results
but In this case. both the eonstiti
ents must Il dry solids. The prlnci
pal acid materials IN manufactured
baking powders are alum, ream q
tartar and acid phosphate or lime, with
usually d little starch 20 net MS a mi
er," and also serving 70 keep the pow
der dry
Those manufacturers Of baking pow
ders who use the three acid materials
mentioned above, have each organized
themselves into trusts. and each trust
~ ~endeavorlng TO convince the public
that they make the only pure and
healthy baking powder on the mar.
ket.
While any one 81 the powders Will
leave an objectionable residue 10 the
bread. probably no proof has " been
given Of injurious results following