EXPERIMENT STATION WORK ON FOOD AND NUTRITION. 235 



other stations have investigated methods of preserving eggs from 

 spring and summer, when they are abundant, to fall and winter, when 

 fresh eggs are less plentiful. For conunercial purposes cold storage 

 proves more practicable, but the farmer and the housekeeper seldom 

 have such facilities. Different methods that have long been used in 

 the household for preserving eggs with more or less success were 

 tried at some of the stations and their values determined. 



Fruits and vegetables are preserved in their fresh condition by heat- 

 ing them at high temperature long enough to destroy the organisms 

 present, then hermetically sealing them to prevent other organ- 

 isms from gaining access to them. This is the principle on which 

 the proper canning of food products depends. An investigation on 

 the canning of fruits and vegetables was conducted at the Virginia 

 Station " in a small factory erected for the purpose of utilizing the 

 products of the fruit and vegetable garden and providing a cheap 

 supply of canned goods for the dining hall of the agricultural col- 

 lege. In this work it was the " aim to pack first-class goods abso- 

 lutely free from preservatives, other than salt and sugar, that are in 

 use as condiments in the products as they are ordinarily eaten. We 

 have also tried to handle our products so as to preserve their natural 

 appearance and flavor." In this investigation a considerable variety 

 of farm products was canned, and it was demonstrated that they 

 could l)e satisfactorily preserved in this way. 



At the New York State Station '' an interesting investigation was 

 made on the swelling of canned peas, which is the occasion of much 

 loss to this industry. This swelling was found to be due to a certain 

 species of bacteria, the spores of which survive the heating during 

 the process of canning. It was shown that further heating destroyed 

 these germs without injury to the commercial quality of the goods. 



To avoid losses due to fermentation, such as those fust cited, resort 

 is sometimes made to the use of antiseptics to destroy the organisms 

 that may survive heating during canning. Indeed, in some cases 

 the preservation of food is accomjjlished chiefly by the use of such 

 substances. This is a cheap and easy method, and the natural form 

 and flavor of the materials are not impaired, unless an excessive 

 amount of the preservative is used. This method of preservation 

 is so effective and so easily followed that it has been quite univer- 

 sally adopted, until it is difficult to obtain })reserved foods that do 

 not contain some chemical substances that have been added to prevent 

 deterioration. 



Very decided objection to the use of such substances has been made. 

 It has been suggested that tlu^ process of decay is so similar to that 

 of digestion that whatever will prevent the former is likely to inter- 

 fere with the latter. Considerable attention has been given to the 



a VirRinia Sta. Bui. 140. 



6 New York State Stn. P.iil. 2 JO. 



