FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 1147 



this point so tliat llic liecs inay iiavc an adtMiuaU' suiipiy of imro wator con- 

 vtMiioiitly locatod. 



Disinfection of silkworm nurseries by means of a new method, Gasperini 

 {Hill. Qiiiiid. Hoc. Af/r. Jtal., l.> {I'Jir,), \o. 7, j,/). J!).^-.^!)'i).~-ln outbivalcs of 

 llatridity aiiumg sill^wonns, the author obtained excellent results iu controlling 

 the disease by fumigating with a mixture of nitrati' of jtotash and snli)hur, 

 alldwing tlie fumes to operate for 24 hours. 



FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 



Twenty-first annual report of the Ohio dairy and food commissioner, IT. 

 Ankkney (.1//;/. h'pf. Ohio Ditiiii iiihl Food Voiiir., dl {J!)06), pp. 9<S). — Tlie 

 work of the State dairy and fond conniiission with reference to the examination 

 of foods and drugs, the legal jtrosecutions resulting from the work, the financial 

 rei)ort for the year, and several special reports are included in this imblication, 

 as well as a summary of the State food laws. Of the l,!J(i-i samples examined, 

 SM were found to be adulterated. As a result of the work prosecutions were 

 brought during the .vear on 121 articles. 



An examination of canned chicken, veal loaf, and similar goods showed that 

 the greater number of these samples had to be classed as adulterated. " The 

 chicken and turkey samples were chiefly other meats. Some of the samples 

 contained tin and zinc, which was evidently due to the poor quality of the 

 containers or lack of care in canning. A few contained either boric, benzoic, 

 or salicylic acid, while perhaps half contained sulphites reported by chemist as 

 traces only or as added sulphites." 



Corn oil; its- j)OssiJ)le iixc as an adulterant in. lard and its detection. W. 

 McPherson and ^V. A. Ruth (pp. 18-23). — Maize oil, or corn oil, a by-product in 

 the manufacture of starch and glucose, was the subject of special investigation, 

 as the material is attracting attention as a food stuff and is riunored to be used 

 as an adulterant for culinary fats. To determine the effects of the presence 

 of corn oil in lard, 3 samples of pure lard were mixed with definite quantities 

 of the oil and tested for making different sorts of pastry, etc., under the 

 auspices of the domestic science department of the Ohio State University. 

 Judged by (luality and appearance, the presence of corn oil did not appreciably 

 affect the quality and palatability of the food in which it was used. " No physi- 

 ological tests were carried out, but considering the source of the oil and its 

 similarity to wliolesome vegetable oils, there can be little doubt as to its food 

 value. \\'hether corn oil is actually used as an adulterant of lard or not. the 

 above results show that lard containing as high as 10 per cent of the oil might 

 easily ])ass for the pure product." 



The chemical and i)h.vsical characteristics of lard, corn oil, and mixtures of 

 the two were studied wilii .-i view to finding a satisfactory method for detecting 

 the presence of corn oil, but neither the iodin number, the butyro-refracto- 

 meter readings, nor color tests gave satisfactory results. The best results 

 were obtained by separating the unsaponifiable product according to Bihuer's 

 acetate method. "The percentage of sitosterol in corn oil is nuich larger than 

 the iiercentage of cholesterol in lard, and this fact, together with the fact that 

 the melting points of the acetyl derivatives of the cholesterol and sistosterol are 

 so far apart (llo° and 127°-12S°, res])ectively), renders it possil)le to detect 

 even very small iimoinits of corn oil present in lard." 



" It is a noteworthy fact that the melting i)oint of the acetyl derivative ob- 

 tained fi'om the lar<l containing excn 2 i)er cent of corn oil is markcMlly higher 

 llian tlif corresponding derivati\'e obtained from pure l.-ird. This would indicate 

 I hat iu the ]irocess of purification the sitosterol is obtained nearly pure." 



