No. 7.] DONALD — BAKING POWDERS. 413 



these questions we answer in the affirmative. The very compo- 

 sition of these alum baking powders shows that those who manu- 

 facture them arc desirous of concealing the fact. With alum as 

 the acid substance, a baking powder can be produced that will 

 yield a much larger percentage of gas than can possibly be ob- 

 tained from a powder made solely with cream of tartar. And 

 since the value of these powders, other things being equal, de- 

 pends upon their available amount of carbonic acid, one would 

 imagine that a manufacturer believing that alum was a whole- 

 some ingredient, and desiring to build up a business, would place 

 upon the market a powder giving off a much greater quantity of 

 gas than could possibly be obtained from a powder whose acid 

 substance is cream of tartar. This, however, is never done ; 

 every alum powder that I have examined producing less carbonic 

 acid than could be obtained with cream of tartar. Flour is 

 added to make up the difference from 34 to 67-25 per cent., 

 according to amount of alum used. 



The great majority of scientific authority condemns alum as 

 an article of food ; the law of Britain strictly forbids its use. 

 If alum be present in a baking powder in excess, a certain 

 amount will enter the body unaltered, and tends to " produce 

 dyspepsia, constipation, vomiting, griping, and even inflammation 

 of the gastro-enteric mucous membrane, as it is a powerful 

 astringent, acting chemically on the tissues," Although these 

 effects will not be produced by the quantity in bread or pastry 

 used at any one time, yet it is certain that persons continuing 

 to eat bread containing alum will in time suffer from its evil 

 effects, and the weaker the constitution the sooner will the 

 effects be noticed. If however the alum in the powder be just 

 sufficient to act upon the soda so as to drive off all its gas, when 

 the gas is driven off sulphate of soda will be formed, and the 

 alumina which is set free will form with the phosphates of the 

 flour an insoluble phosphate of alumina, so that the action of 

 phosphates will be lost to the system and the nutritive value of 

 the bread lessened to that extent. In any case, therefore, the 

 use of alum as an article of food is attended with greater or less 

 evil results. 



Two samples represent as well as constitute the third group. 



One of them produced — 



Carbonic acid - 9-101 and contained besides soda and 



cream of tartar, 

 Flour - - - 40-9 

 Sulphate of lime - 6-269 



