Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-06
Use Of Sulphur
and Alum In Food,

attitude OF tns
Use Of Sulphur Remsen ref
and Alum In Food. cree board y, 90. on
phur and alum In the preparation OF
foods and beverages. The sulphur de-
cision, particularly, is awaited with
great interest, especially by the people
OF the Pacific coast, where the chemi-
cal is used extensively In the prepare
tion Of dried and evaporated fruits
Following after the decisions on the
use Of benEoate Of soda and saccharin
In foods and drinks. the Remsen board
findings on sulphur and alum are
locked forward to as q step toward the
solution Of the most important pure
food problems which have been faced
since the passage Of the food and drugs
act In 1909.
The Remsen board has recently COM
pleted Its Investigations of sulphur and
alum and their use in foods and bev-
now. in the hands Of the Secretary OF
Agriculture and the officials of the
bureau OF chemistry. Until the reports
are made public not one word will be
given out by officials of tho Agricul-
the nndings Of the board of noted
chemists. but It 10 believed that the
board will decide that both sulphur
and alum may be used In limited guam
fact Is stated plainly on the label.
Around the use Of sulphur heated
pure food controversy has ragged for
years. Former Chief Chemist Wiley, his
assistant. DR.. w. D. Bigelow: DR.. B. c.
Weber and others made an extended in
vestigation Of the use of sulphur In foods,
and the influence Of sulphurous acid and
supplies on health as long ago as 1907,
and the findings were that the use Of
these chemicals In foods and wines is OBJ
Ject1onable and results in the injury to
digestion and health. To avoid any sud
den and revolutionary changes in meth
DDS OF manufacture, DR.. Wiley Joined his
associates in signing q food inspection de-
clsion which permitted limited amount
or sulphur In the finished product, pend
ing further Investigations, provided that
the amount OF sulphur used was marked
on the label, and no food and drugs law
guarantee clause appeared.
Experts In the bureau Of chemistry be-
neveo that manufacturers had sufficient
evidence to show that foods were much
more palatabie. more wholesome and more
valuable without the presence of sulphur
and that the use Of the chemical would
gradually be abandoned. Many food
manufacturers and Wine makers who have
used sulphur SO long that they consider
IL necessity in the preparation Of their
product objected strenuouSly to the find
ngs OF the government chemists and the
decision which allowed only restricted
use or sulphur, and finally the question
was placed before the Remsen referee
board for decision.
Sulphurous acid In some form Is ex-
tensively employed In many technical
operations In the preparation of foods
especially in the production of wines the
preparation Of eyaporated fruits and in
the manufacture OF molasses The i'm
portant uses are for wines and evapo-
rated fruits. Sulphur fumes are used to
sweeten and sterilize wine casks, and in
the case OF one kind of wine sulphur Is
used to prevent the complete fermenta-
ton or sugar in the wine. In the prepa-
ration OF evapOrated peaches apricots
apples or pears sulphuring is practiced by
color in the fruit as Is possible, to conceal
decayed portions of the fruit which have
been overlooked In trimming to prevent
fermentation or spoiiage during the dry
ing OF the fruit, to protect the fruit from
f1ies during drying. and to kill the cells
OF the fruit, making the texture more
porous and thus expediting drying. After
the evaporated fruit passes out of
the hands OF the driers some unscrupu-
lous packers have been known to "re-
process the fruit" through excessive sui
phuring to make 1t possible for them to
Increase the moisture content and to in
crease the weight OF the product which
they are to SELL When the question Of
tiC dOO VI sulphur WAS SuDmlIIeQ TO the
Remsen board more than five years ago,
pending its coming decision. manufact-
urers were granted permission to use rea-
sonable amounts OF sulphur In the prepa-
ration of foods and wines If the fact
was plainly stated on the label
The previous Investigations OF the use
OF alum have not been as extensive as
the investigations of the influence Of sui
phurous acid and sulphites. Perhaps the
most important use of alum is in the
manufacture Of baking powders The
government has never before had to re-
port on the effect of alum on health. and
the Remsen boards report will give the
first authoritative information ON the
subject which at the same time is official
Perhaps the most important series Of
private studies of alum has been con-
Quoted by DR.. William John Giles. head of
the biolog1cal chemistry department of
Columbia University, New York
The Remsen boards findings on the
sulphur problem will be the first to be
made public. and the report on alum viii
follow later.