The Yale expositor., 1906-06-22
INJURIOUS GERMS
DANGEROUS BACTERIA ARE
OFTEN FOUND IN YEAST.
Not All Destroyed by Baking of
Dough and May Be the Cause
of Internal Dis
orders.

That most of the yeast of commerce
contains injurious bacteria and that
our methods of breadmaking are cal
rulated to encourage the development
of these and of their poisonous prod
ucts is asserted by DR.. K. Paller, of
New York, in the Dietetic and Hygien-
ic Gazette. He says:
Several specimens Of yeast sold
on the market were examined and found
to be contaminated, but the greatest
contamination was found in the yeast
of one manufacturer, which is being
retailed in small packages, and which
yeast for some unaccountable reason,
on the market. So it may be as far
IS appearance is concerned, but under
the microscope ii is the worst as re-
CARDS bacterial contamination"
From one fresh package no less than
four different kinds of microbes were
isolated, including one that is COM
monty associated with putrefaction.
To resume the quotation:
"In short, what is being sold on the
market as yeast contains in addition
to the yeast cells numerous bacteria,
tire most frequent being the bacillus
coil cummunis or one of its congeners.
OF course, any pathogenic microbe may
| find its way into the yeast and may
find there an excellent culture me,
dunn.
Now, what is being done with the
yeast? 1t is put into water and flour
and the whole is left in a warm place
and allowed 10 ferment. That means
that we encourage the bac
terra to develop fully in the dough
and we encourage their toxins to fully
develop and saturate it.
"On examining microscopically after
/ IL hours the dough which as fer
mented by the addition Of such yeast
found it to contain the very mi
crobes which were present in the
yeast. The -four in itself, of course
is not sterile; but the evil is aggra
waited by the addition of a substance
laden with bacteria.
ut will not be amss to refer here
to the claim made by some that yeast
is an antiseptic and, consequently
binders the growth of bacteria.
81 shall briefly state that l have
found by experiment that yeast hin
ders the development of some putre'
factive germs in albuminous sub
stances, but it does it to a very slight
extent. Its antisentic power on the
whole is insignificant.
THE baking of the dough does no
seem to destroy all the microbes, the
heat probably not being strong enough
or not continued long enough. Al
said before, l found bacteria in thu
pulp of fresh, warm bread jus
brought from the bakers. If that i!
the case with nonsorpulent microbes
the sorpulent ones are surely not de
stroyed.
Even if the heat should destroy al
the microbes it might not destroy thu
toxins that they have generated, no
does ii correct the chemical changes
that have occurred owing to the ex
cessive bacterial development. Thu
boiling of sour milk does not render 1
fit for consumption. The cooking o
decomposed eggs, fish or meat doe
not make them safe for ingestion.
I'VE have a rigid inspection o
milk and other articles of Diet bu
our bread, the staple article, especial
of the poor, has been entirely neglect
ed. The bread looks to be such an in
nocent. harmless article that it ha
been left alone"