Improvements relating to the Making-up or Packing of Baking powders.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Making-up or Packing of
Baking powders.
I, WILLIAM PITT CLOTWORTHY, of the City of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland, United States of America, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in packing baking-powders, which I
accomplish by so combining the constituents that no loss of aerating power will
take place by the acid constituent acting on the carbonated alkali.
At the present
time, the universal practice among the manufacturers of the baking-powders of
commerce is, to mix the acid, the carbonate and the starch or flour all together.
The starch or flour is used to prevent the rapid deterioration of strength necessarily
caused by reason of the action of the acid on the carbonate. Experience has
proved that the starch or flour only serves to retard deterioration, and that it is
simply a question of time when the whole strength will have been lost. This is
particularly the case when the acid phosphate of lime and bicarbonate of soda are
used. The acid phosphate of lime is, by all scientific authorities on the subject,
conceded to be the best acid for bread making.
To carry my invention into effect, I arrange the constituents in layers or strata,
placing between the acid and the carbonated alkali a layer or stratum of starch or
Hour, or other suitable or farinaceous matter. This effectually separates the acid
from the carbonate, and consequently no appreciable loss of strength can possibly
take place, no matter for how long a time the powders may be kept. I make a
further improvement by putting the combination in packages, every one of which
contains a sufficient quantity to aërate one pound of flour; and thus avoid an
uncertainty of measurement by teaspoons which vary in size, and avoid the necessity
of guessing at the quantity desired, in the absence of a spoon.
In almost every
case, inferior bread is the result of the uncertain strength and uncertain quantity of
baking-powders. My improvements as herein set forth remedy the evil.
I make no claim to have originated the use of acid phosphate of lime,
bicarbonate of soda, and starch or flour in the composition of baking-powders, as
my invention is confined to the valuable improvements in combining these articles
in layers or strata, that is by placing the starch or flour between the acid phosphate
of lime and the bicarbonate of soda; so as effectually to keep them separate until
required for use, and also by packing the combination in a package sufficient to
aërate one pound avoirdupois of flour.
The following are the proportions used by me in combination as hereinafter
mentioned (by the metric system of weights) for a pound avoirdupois of flour,
viz. -
Acid phosphate of lime, thirteen (13) grams.
Bicarbonate of soda, four-and-a-half (4) grams.
Powdered starch, four (4) grams.
My invention is equally applicable to other ingredients, the use of which in the
composition of baking-powders I do not claim to be original with me, namely,

page_text: The tartaric acid and cream of tartar are united and placed in the package, then
the starch is placed, and the bicarbonate of soda is finally placed on top.
But of course it must be understood that this arrangement may be varied
without making any important difference, provided that the starch be between the
acid and the soda. While I name powdered starch as the best article to use in
separating acid from carbonate, yet any farinaceous article, such as the flour of
grain, may be substituted in similar proportions with good results.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
As a new article of manufacture, a package of baking-powders in which, until
required for use, the acid is separated from the carbonated alkali by a layer or
stratum of powdered starch, all substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of October 1891.
WILLIAM PITT CLOTWORTHY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.