Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-13
FOOD OFFICER
MAKES SEIZURE
----
Commissioner Hansen confis
Gates Batch Of Baking Powder
On Second South Street.
LABELLED CONTRARY TO LAW
Analysis Of Ingredients Of Powder
Borne Ont by State Chemist
Other Troubles.

Willard Hansen, Jr.. state food and
! dairy commissioner, made u seizure
! this morning, that he considers OF un-
| usual Importance. At n small cast Sec
ond South street srocery he found
demonstration showing off baking pow
der, from ''rhc Crescent Baking Pow
der company Of Seattle, Wash" Mr..
Hansen looked several packages ovei.
ana discovered such a violation of the
state law in the matter of labelling that
he confiscatcd the entire outfit, worth
perhaps SIS. Tho demonstrators. IL.
noticed, was taking a spoonful OF the
powder, testing 1t in hot and cold
water to show its strength as Il lcav
eninS agent, which was claimed to be
Far superior to othersballins powders
On the label was printed what the
powder purported to contain, one OF
the ingredients being Sodium alumni
UNI sulphate"--an uuintelligiblc con-
glomeration. Alunina sulphate is COM
mon alum: but sodiunl-what? Sodium
is Il metal, but in the form used must
be some salt of the metal. as for In
stance carbonate. But this Is not
stated. II carbonate OF soda is meant.
the reaction in the combination Is the
freeing OF carbonic acid gas by the
suphuric acid in the alumina. which
phate of soda. or Glauber salt. The re-
sultant is Il precipitation of the alumina
in the form of II hydrate. q substance
commercially used as n basis for pig
ments. In the reaction in dough, the
escaping carbOnic acid gas blows out
the dough, leavening 1t, and leaving
the alumina hydrate behind, with sui
rhate of soda. This is one reason why
so many experts claim that the use of
alum or alum products in bread is dele
terious At the same time, other cX-
perts claim that these chemicals are
left in a harmless conditions, practically
inert
SEIZURE is MADE.
Commissioner Hansen was about ma
king up his mind to seize the outfit
when he noticed a bunch of leaf clrcu- #
lars offering $500 reward for any
Rochelle salts, alum, lime potassium,
tartratc, ammonia, or any other I'M
puritics found in food prepared with
the Crescent baking powder" Nov lie
knew that the detection Of :iumina
sulfate, or common alum In the bread
would be impossible because of the
chemical changes. so lefconcluded this
was Il "surcthing dodge" to gull the,
public, and settled his mind at once.
The seizure was made. Moreover, the
label stated egg was an ingredient,
while the dodger called it The modern
phosphate powder'--one plain,
the other n compound substance. MIR.
Hansen says Il the label had stated
plainly that there was alum In the
powder, he could not have done any
thing. But the label was misleading In
itself and tho dodger circular further
the mystery. Nj. Hansen
has information that demonstrators for
this company have ,been working in
various places over the state, and going
into houses to show the superiority OF
this baking powder over all others.
The food commissioners contentious
ist, so that he feels safe in taking the
stand he has.
Mr. Hansen reports having had
trouble with the Hunt baking powder
people, who. he says, have been giving
out that their powder was being used
In the families of the food commission
er and the state chemist. when the
statement was entirely untrue.