BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 563 



•weather, and collecting samples of all sorts to be examined by the 

 chemists and bacteriologists located in the Omaha food inspection 

 laboratory, which, for the summers of 1911 and 1912, was turned 

 over to this egg investigation exclusively. 



The scientific and practical results obtained on the handling of 

 this perishable product, the mechanical devices used to wasli and 

 sterilize utensils, and the gain in elliciency of work and in quality of 

 product by the application of what may truly be called "scientific 

 management," furnish a broad field for furtlier endeavor in the evo- 

 lution of a pure, clean food supply. It is planned to publisli a full 

 account of this work as soon as the data are sufliciently complete. 



Work in Philadelphia. 



The headquarters in Philadelphia maintain a close relationship 

 with all the branches of the field work, that information gained in 

 one place may be quickly transmitted and utilized in another and 

 that the widely diversified phases of stud}' and fields of operations 

 may be correlated and the logical progress of the work as a Avhole 

 ensured. The more elaborate scientific studies are worked out, 

 methods to be used in the field work devised, and all of the routine 

 chemical and bacteriological examinations in connection with the 

 study of experimental shipments and marketing are made in the 

 main laboratory. 



PotTLTEY. 



During the past year, in connection with the field work and ship- 

 ments of wet-packed and dry-packed chickens, a study has been made 

 of the amount of water absorbed by the chicken and the amount of 

 nutrient material dissolved out of the chicken when the Avet-packed 

 system is practiced commercially. Calculating on the 20.000-pound 

 car-lot basis, wet packing for each car of poultry would cause the 

 consumer to pay chicken prices for about 1,300 pounds of water and 

 to lose down the drains about 300 pounds of the best food material 

 that chicken flesh contains. Such economic losses are too great to 

 pass unnoticed. 



A study has also been made of the comparative keeping quality of 

 wet and dry packed birds when hard frozen, carrying them through 

 the whole routine of mai-keting as usual. Other investigations are 

 indicated by the following titles of circulars publi.shed during the 

 year: "The Occurrence aTid Permanence of Lipase in tlie Fat of the 

 Common Fowl" and "The Oxidation of Chicken Fat by Means of 

 Hydrogen Peroxid" (Circular 75). ns well as by titles to publica- 

 tions now in press, namely, "The Influence of Temperature on the 

 Lipolysis of Esters," "The Hydrolysis of Chicken Fat by Means of 

 Lil)a.se," and " TJie Occurrence of Catalase, Oxidase, and Reductases 

 in the Fat of the Common Fowl." 



EOGS. 



Shipments of eggs have been studied along lines paralleling the 

 study of ])oultry, using generally the "southern" egg as the sub- 

 ject of experimentation. The enzyms occurring in fertile and un- 

 fertile eggs, fresh and stale eggs, kept at low and high tempera- 



