The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-04-02
THE LOAF OF BREAD.

x1tI AlAE III B1S&GAO.
The widespread propaganda for the
purity Of the food and drug products
Of this country has resulted in the nee
essary attempt to standardize all artic-
les which enter into these categories.
In the case Of certain familiar materials
like sugar and coffee this has not In
volved any formidable dinicultiea The
question az to what constitutes mince
pie. on the other hand. has aroused
storms OF claims and counterclaims on
behalf OF the recipes Of different reg
ions and generations. Like numerous
other illustrations which might be cited,
this experience has served to call at
tention to the really great diversity OF
our food concoctions and the pardon-
able laxness In the use Of current terms
that appear in the American menu. One
may we'll apply here the proverb: De
gustibus non disputandum est.
1t might be expected that so common
an article Of diet as bread would ex-
hibit some uniformity of competition.
Yet the chemist Of the Connecticut az
ricultural experiment station reports
that 200 loaves Of bread. representing
the product Of - Connecticut. one
Springfield (Mass.) and three New York
bakeries showed wide variations in
all their ingredients For example.
the moisture content ranged from q
to 40 per cent, 20 that In some in
stances the bread contained excessive
amounts Of water. The fat present also
showed wide range, from 00S to
4.37 per cent. These differences are
largely due to the methods Of the
bakers. In some cases only flour.
yeast and salt are used, while in others
milk. butter. lard and sugar. either
alone or In combination, are employed.
The variations In tat are also due in
part to the fact that in the process
OF baking = part Of the fat 10 destroy
ed. In some samples the amount of
fat found IL much lower than could
have resulted from the use Of any brand
Of flour.
A. comparison Of the variations in q
five-cent loaf Of bread is interesting in
other directions also. The actual
amount Of dry matter per loaf in tho
Connecticut samples ranged from 10 to
1877 ounces: the average weight Of the
loaf in nine cities ranged from 1873 to
1872 ounces. The cheapness Of the three
and four-cent loaves indicated a real
saving, as far as quantity is concerned.
because the decrease in price was great
er than the decreaAe in. weight. AS
the price Of a loaf of bread has re-
manned stable at five cents, while the
cost OF the ingredients has increased.
changes in the real cost of the nutrients
OF bread must be sought in the changes
Of size or composition Of the loaf. Ac-
cording to investigations made in New
Jersey in 1895, loaves costing four and
five cents weighed from 1877 to 21.8
ounces. average 1874 ounces. In 1895 in
New Jersey So per cent of the Ave-
cent loaves weighed over 16 ounces and
SO per cent over Is ounces. while in 1912
in Connecticut only per cent weighed
over 16 ounces, and only 16 per cent
over Is ounces. Assuming similar con-
ditions in these two states. the average
weight of the flve-cent loaf has shrunk
since 1895 from 1874 to IA ounces, or Is
per cent. When all has been said, OBJ
serves The Journal of the American
Medical Association. the student of nu-
triton will doubtless still remark that
bread Is cheap at any price,