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.
1, 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 of the manufacturers of the baking-powders of commerce
is to mix the acid, the carbonate and starch or flour altogether. The starch or
flour is used to prevent the rapid deterioration of strength necessarily caused by
reason of the action of this acid on the carbonate. Experience has proved that the
starch or four 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 the 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.
In carrying my invention into effect, I arrange the constituents in layers or
strata in small packages, so that although the layers come in contact the materials
are not mixed. The packages may be of tin, wood, or other suitable materials.
Reference is hereby made to the drawing, in which A represents the receptacle,
B the bicarbonate of soda, C the neutral salt, and D the acid.
By this arrangement a very small proportion of the carbonate and of the acid
(about two per centum) are in contact, and being so, begin at once to form a neutral
salt, whereby all further loss of strength is prevented by the formation of this
stratum of neutral salt, which is a virtual separator. This method I consider a
novel and valuable improvement on the present general practice.
It is generally known that there is a rapid deterioration in the strength of the
principal baking-powders in the market, so that, if the powders are not fresh, or
the packages have been opened, they are in a great degree of no value. My
improvement is applicable to all the acids and carbonates used in the making of
bread. By the term carbonates, I mean the alkaline carbonates and bicarbonates.
I am aware that substantially the same materials have heretofore been used in
the composition of baking-powders, and therefore do not claim such a composition
broadly and I am also aware of the use of a method of separating the ingredients
by a partition in the box, thus making separate compartments, and therefore do
mclaim any such means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tidh, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
As an article of manufacture, a package of baking-powders, consisting of a
suitable receptacle A, containing the acid D and carbonated alkali B placed with
their contiguous layers in contact, whereby a dividing layer of a chemical salt C is
formed between the two bodies, substantially as described.
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1001 1
WILLIAM PITT CLOTWORTHY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.