Arizona republican., 1909-05-24

proposed to prohibit altogether the
 use of benZoate of soda in foods, on
 the ground that it was a chemical
 preservative. the employment of which
 was deleterious to health. Under
 great pressure, modification was se-
 cured allowing the temporary use of
 one-tenth of one per cent in foods
 where the preservative had formerly
 been used. With the Wilson Straus-
 Cortelyou decision, however, the doors
 were thrown wide open, and at pres
 ent the drug can be mixed with any
 and all kinds of foods and in any
 amount to suit the manufacturer
 The latter is limited only by the
 amount the trade will stand for, and
 no one has yet predicted what that
 limit will be. Benzoate of soda is thus
 recognized as the only chemical pre-
 servative the use of which is author
 ized as by the government in unlimit-
 ed quantities. Some of the foods in
 which it has been used and in which it will certainly appear this summer
 are: Jellies, jams and preserves; ketchup, chili sauce and "pickled lily; " peach, apple, plum and apricot but
 ClutI anu dPC JuiNtS
 meat and filling for all kinds of pies; canned soups and boullions and arti- cles of similar character. Under the recent decision, however, other prod ucts can now be preserved by this particular chemical. Among them are syrups and fruit compounds. served at soda water fountains. It is true the regulations provide that each container shall be plainly labeled to show the presence and amount of benzoate of soda, but in the case of soda-water fountains, the. -con- tainers are generally kept in the eel lar, while the syrups are drawn from the fountain and the fruits are served from bowls. These need not, and. it is unnecessary to say. will not show the presence or amount of benzoate of soda. The same is true of bulk foods in the grocery stores. such as butter in the tub, cheese in the ease, milk in the can, etc. In such cases the consumer will have little oppor- tunity of knowing whether or not benzoate of soda is used.
 Nor are the meat packers overlook ing the permission so broadly given to use unlimited quantities of this chem ical preservative in their meat prod ucts, such as "potted" chicken, turkey. ham and tongue; canned roast beef, corned beef or whole tongue; and above all, in their sausages. Since they were deprived of boracic acid, which gave the world the term "em- balmed beef" they have been at sea, but benzoate of soda has come to their rescue. In the cans chemically preserved meats must bear the label, but what will the consumer know about a string of sausages, green sausage, or smoked sausage, when purchased from the butchers coun- ter?
 Even more than meats and other 'oods preserved with the condemned ooracic acid. are those preserved with he approved benzoic acid, entitled to pear the prefix "embalmed." for, while borax and boracic acid are modern discoveries, benzoic acid was employed in em- lalming some five thousand years ago. and to it's wonderful preserving qualities we owe the Egyptian num- mics. There was a difference. how ever. in this, that while the ancients obtained their benzOic acid from aro- natic gums, modern chemistry has discovered that it can be produced rom coal-tar and the urine of cattle md horses, from which sources what s known as commercial benzoic ,cid is now exclusively obtained.