Morris tribune., 1905-08-05
SOME BUTTER TESTS
METHODS BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH
THE GENUINE ARTICLE.

THE GENUINE ARTICLE.
The Use of Preservatives With Fresh
Meat-CoIoring Matter In Many Sau-
sages-Hovv to Detect BOric Acid In
Meat Products.
It 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 to dis
tinguish between fresh butter, renovat-
ed or process butter and oleomarga-
rine.
The "spoon" test has been suggested
as a. household test and is commonly
used sby analytical chemists for distin-
gushing fresh butter from renovated
butter or oeomargarine. A lump Of
butter two or three times the size of a
pea is placed in large spoon and
it Is then heated over an alcohol burn
er. If more convenient, the spoon may
be held above the chimney Of an ordi-
nary kerosene lamp. or it 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 large number Of
small bubbles throughout the mass
which produce a large amount Of foam.
Oleomargarine and process butter, on
the other hand. sputter and crackle,
making a noise similar to that heard
when a green stick is placed In fire.
Another point of distinction is noted If
Il small portion of the sample is placed
in small bottle and set in vessel Of
water sufficiently warm to melt the
sample. The sample is kept melted
from half an hour to an hour, when 1t
is examined. If renovated butter or
oleomargarine, the fat will be turbid,
while if 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
wide mouthed bottle, which is set in
vessel of boiling water. When the
milk is thoroughly heated a 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 dish Of ice water and
the stirring continued until the fat
solidifies. Now, if the sample be but
ter, either fresh or renovated, it will
be soIidi1ied in a granular condition
and distributed through the milk in
small particles. Ii, on the other hand,
the sample consists Of oleomargarine
it solfdifies practically in 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 tn"
market is preserved chemically. Thi-
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 it 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.
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 preservatives may be alb
sent The reason for this is that the
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 T
matter is sometimes employed. This is
lone partly for the purpose of satisfy
ng an unnatural demand for a high {
,olored article and partly sometimes to
conceal the grayish color characteristic 7
IF old meat, which should not be used
1t all