NOTES. 299 



formic acid, as well as of a trial of the Fenton and Sisson reduction of 

 formic acid to formaldehyde as a qualitative means for the detection of this 

 preservative iu foods. The endeavor was also made to note the effect of 

 various interfering substances and caramel, and to determine how much formic 

 acid is present in various materials and prepared food products when examined 

 by the prescribed method. The Finclie method was adopted jtrovisionally by 

 the association. The natural occurrence of formic acid in food products is 

 to be further investigated, and the Wegner method is to he given a trial as a 

 confirmatory test. Steps are also to be talien to find a quantitative method 

 for the determination of saccharin in foods. 



E. B. Forbes, I'eferee on organic and inorganic phosi)horus, reported on 

 inorganic phosphorus in vegetable and animal substances. The magnesia mix- 

 ture method gave satisfactoiy results on blood, brain, liver, and flesh, and 

 showed a recovery of 9G to 100 i>er cent of added phosphates. The work with 

 vegetable materials was done on alfalfa hay, blue grass, rice polish, rice 

 polish and phosphate, and middlings, soy beans, and oat straw with and with- 

 out phosphate. It was found that the use of the centrifuge greatly facilitated 

 the separation of dilute aqueous acid extracts of vegetable substances, and 

 when filter pulp is introduced into the extraction process it materially assists 

 in the maintenance of an easily penetrable condition of the magnesia mix- 

 ture precipitate. The modification of the acid alcohol method of Forbes and 

 associates by the introduction of filter paper pulp into the extraction, the 

 use of excessive amounts of magnesia mixture in the first precipitation, and 

 allowing an unusual length of time for precipitation gave apparently perfect 

 results as judged from the recovery of added phosphates, but unsatisfactory 

 results in other cases. No method was recommended for determining inorganic 

 phosphates in vegetable substances generally. A number of recommendations, 

 which included a description of methods for the examination of animal tissues, 

 were made. The magnesia mixture method of Forbes and associates for the 

 de!ermination of water-soluble inorganic phosphates was adopted as official. 

 Further efforts are to be made to obtain methods of separation of organic and 

 inorganic phosphorus in vegetable foods. 



Ij. S. Palmer, associate referee on the separation of nitrogenous substances 

 in milk and cheese, pointed out the need of changing the term " albumin of 

 milk " to " heat coagulable proteins." Studies on a method for heat coagulable 

 proteins are also necessary, and methods ought to be devised for nitrogenous 

 substances other than casein, albumin, and globulin. The so-called neutraliza- 

 tion precipitate obtained from the filtrate of the acetic acid coagulation of cow's 

 milk appears to be largely a mixture of di- and tri-calcium phosiJhates. The 

 as.sociatiou is to make studies of methods for the determination of the noncasein 

 proteins of milk and the i^roducts of protein decomposition in milk. 



The associate referee on the separation of nitrogenous bodies iu meats, A. D. 

 Emmett, submitted a brief report on creatin and creatinln in meat extracts 

 and meats by the Folin method and amino nitrogen in meat extracts and meats 

 by the Van Slyke and Kober methods, and ammonia nitrogen in the same sub- 

 stances by the Folin (K2CO3), the Steel-Gies (NaOH), and the magnesium oxid 

 methods. The work is to be continued. 



L. I. Nurenberg, referee on dairy products, made a study of the refractive 

 indexes of the copper, acetic acid, and soured milk sera and soured serum ash 

 figures of milk, which are all used in the detection of added water. The 

 optional and provisional methods for preparing copper and soured serum and 

 for ash determinations in soured and acetic acid sera were adopted as optional- 

 provisional. The Harding-Farkin method (E. S. R., 29, p. 507) for fat determi- 

 nation is to be given further study, likewise the enzym reactions of milk. 



