Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-12-28
SOME BUTTER TESTS
METHODS BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH
THE GENUINE ARTICLE.

THE GENUINE ARTICLE.
The Use of Personalities With Fresh
Meat-ColOring Matter In Many snu-
saRes-HOw 10 Detect Bortc Acid In
Meat Products.
1t is a matter of common informa-
ton that oleomargarine Is sometimes
substituted for butter and that rancid
and badly made butter is frequently
melted, washed with soda and churned
with milk for the preparation OF reno
vated or process butter
Methods are available which, with
little practice. may be employed 10 dis
tinguish between fresh butter, renovat-
ed or process buttrr and oleomarga-
rine.
The spoon" test has been suggested
AS n household test and is commonly
used by analytical chemists for distn-
gushing fresh butter from renovated
butter or oleomargarine. A lump OF
butter two or three times the size or
pea is placed in large spoon and
1t Is then heated over an alcohol burn
er. IL more convenient the spoon may
be held above the chimney of an ordi-
nary kerosene lamp, or 1t may even be
held over an ordinary illuminating gas
burner If the sample in question be
fresh butter It will boil quietly with
the evolution of a large number or
small bubbles throughout the mass
10 a
Oleomargarine and process butter, on
the other hand. sputter and crackle,
making a noise similar 10 that heard
when a green stick is placed In a fire.
Another point of distinction is noted il
a small portion of the sample is placed
In a small bottle and set in vessel OF
water sufficiently warm to melt the
sample The sample IS kept melted
from half an hour 10 an hour. when 1t
IS examined. If renovated butter or
oleomargarine, the fat will be turbid.
while II genuine. fresh butter the fat
will almost certainly be entirely clear.
To manipulate what is known as the
Waterhouse, or milk test about two
ounces of sweet milk is placed in
vessel of boiling water. When the
milk IS thoroughly heated teaspoon
full of butter is added and the mix
ture stirred with a splinter Of wood
until the fat is melted. The bottle Is
then placed in a dish Of ice water and
the stirring continued until the fat
solidifes Now, If the sample be but
ter, either fresh or renovated, 1t will
be solidified in n granular condition
and distributed through the milk In
small particles If, on the other hand.
the sample consists Of oleomargarine
il solidifies practically I'm one piece and
may be lifted by the stirrer from the
milk.
Many persons believe that the great
mass Of the fresh meat sold on the
market is preserved chemically. This
impression Is entirely unfounded. The
cold storage facilities of the present
day make the use of preservatives
with fresh meat unnecessary. and the
larger packing houses do not employ
them. 1t sometimes happens that local
butchers sprinkle preservatives over
a cut Of meat in order that they may
keep II exposed on the block or hang
Ing in a show window as an adver-
tisement. The use Of chemical pre-
servatives with fresh meat is confined
TO this practice alone.
Preservatives are very commonly
used with chopped meats and sausages.
especially fresh sausage. They are al
ways employed with canned Vienna
and Frankfurter sausages inclosed IN
castings with the ends tied. Where the
ends are cut preseryatives may be alb
sent. The reason for this is that the
temperature required for the complete
sterilization OF sausages will either
burst or distort the skins when the
ends are tied, whereas sausages with
cut ends afford an opportunity for the
escape Of the water and steam.
With many varieties OF sausages,
both fresh and smoked, and with chop,
ped meats OF all descriptions, coloring
matter is sometimes employed. This IL
done partly for the purpose of satisfy
ing an unnatural demand for a high
colored article and partly sometimes to
conceal the grayish color characteristic
of old meat, which should not be used
at all
The preservatives employed with
meat products are boric acid. borax
and sulphites To detect boric acid
about a tablespoonful Of the chopped
meat is thoroughly maCerated with a
little water. pressed through bag and
two or three tablespoonfuls Of the
liquid placed in sauce dish with If
teen or twenty drops OF strong hydro
chloric acid foV each tablespoonful The
liquid is then filtered through filter pa
per and q piece OF tumeric paper dip
ped into 1t and dried near Il lamp or
stove II boric acid or bora1 were used
for preserving the sample the tumeric
paper should be changed 10 a bright
cherry red color If too much hydro
chloric acid has been employed a dirty
brownish req color is obtained. which
interferes with the color due TO the
presence Of borlc acid. Now, II drop
of household ammonia DO added TO the
colored tumeric paper and it turns
dark green, almost black color. then
boric acid is present IL the reddish
color, however, was caused by the use
of too much hydrochloric acid. this
green color does not form.
The corrosive nature OF hydrochloric
acid must not be lost sight Of II must
not be- allowed to touch the flesh,
clothes or any metal.-New York Irib-