The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-03-10


Of food. All such authorizations have
practically d.sappssrsd from the
marx. owing 10 the, splendid work
accomplished by the Food and Drug
Act. and furthermore. the misbrand-
ing Of articles OF food has been to a
great extent eliminated. The one
side OF the food law. which has been
sadly neglected and which needs Inn
mediate attention IL the sanitary
conditions existing In the prepara-
ton of food products and all the
raw material used In other prepare
tons. Ny particular subject 10 that
OF vanilla bean fayoring The meth
Cd used in the handling Of the raw
material. vanilla beans. by dirty and
diseas natives In the tropical
climate. IL most revolving when II 10
considered that the 9th and disease
germs from these unclean people
goes directly into vanilla bean ex-
tract II IL impossible. to cleanse
the vanilla beans before they are
used in the manufacture OF the ex-
tract To do so. would destroy the
ve-y small proportion OF the actual
fiavoring, which they contain. or
necessity a certain proportion OF
vanilla beans are not properly pre-.
pared by the crude method OF these
uneducated natives. who handle
them. Such vanilla beans when
they are brought TO the United
States, develop what is known TO
the vanilla trade. as the vanilla
louise. II you will look through the
microscope before you, you can see
one of these vanilla bean lice, taken
from this sample OF vanilla beans.
II certainly Is not pretty animal
TO enter into the composition OF
delicate favoring for milady's fancy
desserts.
II would refer. you to the United
States dispensatory, where you Will
find the following description OF
what is known to the vanilla trade
as vanilla itch. Now gentlemen con-
sidering that the vanilla beans are
hsr lied by these natives who are
ignorant OF the first principles OF
sanitary conditions with their I'M
clean and often diseased bodies. can
you imagine the Nth which must
contaminate the vanilla bean ex-
tract, All of this is unnecessary,
as made In America. under clean
sanitary conditions and produced by
process OF distillation, which
means publication. American chem
lists are today producing vanillin,
the. favoring of the vanilla bean in
its 100 per cent purity. The follow
ing quotation from tariff sketch No.
25 OF the hearings before the ways
and means committee on Jan. 10,
1918, Ia a matter Of congressional
record and must be accepted as the
truth on this important subject.
Hon. o. w. Underwood. Chairman
Committee on Ways and Means:
"sir-Supplementing the remarks
OF DR.. s. II. Baer on the subject OF
vanillin, and In order that the ma
ture OF this article may be thor
oughly understood, beg to advise
that vanillin Is the fiavoring prin-
ciple OF the vanilla bean, or that
which gives the desired flavor to
the so-called vanilla extract.
"The synthetic vaniiiin on the
market IL made from cloves and Is
Identical in every respect with the
vanillin in the vanilla bean.
Therefore. synthetic vanillin be-
ing a chemically pure product when
used in the manufacture OF favors
makes a purer product than that
made from the vanilla beans, by rea-
son OF the conditions under which
the beans are gathered and cured in
the tropical countries where they
are grown. The term pure extract
OF vanilla" as applied to extracts
made from beans only. is the result
OF regulations issued by the bureau
OF chemistry. which prohibit that
term being applied to fiavors made
from synthetic vanillin. although
the latter is by far the purer pro-
duct.
Respectfully.
JOHN F. QUEENY,
President Monsanto Chemical
Works, St Louis"