The daily morning oasis., 1920-05-08
Destruction Of Ripe Olives Ordered.--
Defective Packing Methods Blamed

A shipment of ripe olives render
ed poisonous by bacteria which was
seized in Milwaukee, on information
furnished by the Bureau of Chemis-
try, United STATES Department of
Agriculture, has been condemned and
destroyed by order of the court, ac-
cording to statement by officials Of
that bureau charged with enforcement
of the Federal food and drugs act.
The olives were in glass containers
and labeled as Supreme curtis Quail
ty California Ripe Olives packed by
the Curtis Corporation Long Beach
California"
The Government alleged in the libel
that the olives We're adulterated for
the reason that they consisted in whole
or in part of filthy, decompoed,
and putrid vegetable substance. Elk
animation by the Bureau of Chemistry
of samples of the shipment showed
that guinea pigs fed from three Of
the bottles died, indicating the pre-
sence of toxin due to decomposition
of the olives by bacteria which were
later identified as Bacillus botulinus.
I Olives similarly infected were respon-
sible for the several deaths of people
| within recent month in Canton, De-
triot, Brooklyn, Memphis and else
| where.
Defective methods Responsible
Investigations by the Bureau of
Chemistry have shown that defects in
the methods of picking, packing and
processing ripe olives are responsible
for the wide spread infection with bac-
terra. The practice of shipping and
holding olives in weak brine for weeks
and sometimes for months, permits
fermentation and generalized infec-
ton of the olives with many kinds
of bacteria. Olives after this treat
ment are much more difficult to steri-
lie than those fresh from the tree
and handled at once. The result,
there is occasional failure on the part
Of the packer to heat the containers
to a sufficiently high temperature to
destroy all dangerous bacteria that
may be on the olives.
The failure to sterilize properly is
more likely to occur when glass con-
tainers are used, probably because of
the fear that higher temperature
may break the glass. There is no
good reason why ripe olives should
not be completely sterilized when put
up in glass as well as when put up
in tin. AS matter of fact, how
ever. ripe olives in glass have been
the cause of the various cases of
botulinus poisoning investigated by
the Burbeau of Chemistry. The only
case in which tin container appears
to have been involved was that of
relish containing minced ripe olives
where conditions rather than steri-
lization We're depended upon for pre-
seryation. The poison would de-
velop in tin containers if they We're
not sufficiently processed, but as there
is no danger of breakage in tin,
sufficient degree of heat is usually
applied.
In all cases of botulinus poisoning
so far investigated the ripe olives
were found to show signs of decom-
position. They had an odor charact-
eristic of spoilage and taste that in
Dictated they were not sound. In
some instances where death resulted
from botulism it was established that
the persons who served the olives and
some who ate them recognized that
the olives were spoiled. The develop
ment of toxin produced by the bacil-
lus botulinus is accompanied by de-
composition, and while the investiga-
ttion has not been completed enough
to determine positively that sufficient
spoilage to be detected certainly by
smell and taste always is present
when there is enough toxin to do harm
! such has been the fact in all cases
so far investigated. The department
previously issued a warning to con
| sumers to discard any food that
shows indication of spoilage. While
all food that shows signs of spoilage
may not contain dangerous bacteria
OF toxins, any spoiled food may con-
tain them and should not be eaten.
If the food shows any definite signs
of spoilage, however slight, it should
be discarded. If there is any doubt
about the food being sound, it should
be cooked thoroughly before being
served.
Government Using Every Power
The Federal officials have used