50 REPORT OF THE BACTERIOLOGIST OF THE 
This is the basis of the keeping quality of household preserves. 
Maple syrup which weighs 11 lbs. to the gallon contains about 
the minimum amount of sugar which will prevent fermentation 
under favorable conditions. Even maple syrup kept warm com- 
monly ferments. In the quantities used with vegetables the 
sugar increases, rather than retards, fermentation. 
In their zeal to sell saccharin the agents often claim high 
germicidal properties for this substance. As used in peas, the 
germicidal property of saccharin, if present, is too slight to be 
of practical use. Stress is also laid upon the point that saccharin 
does not break up into gas under the influence of bacteria. As 
the sugar in the peas themselves will furnish sufficient gas to 
explode the cans this item is of little value. 
The acid in fruits and certain vegetables increases the effective- 
ness of the heating in a marked degree. In practice, pieplant 
keeps with far less heating than is required by asparagus. Peas 
which had soured after processing for 30 minutes at 236° F. were 
heated for a few minutes at 212° F. It was found that in many 
cases in the presence of the acid, this slight heating had killed all 
the germs. 
Antiseptics have held, in the past, a considerable place in the 
fight which canners have made against fermentation. They are 
still used to a sufficient extent to induce liberal advertising by 
the manufacturers of certain proprietary compounds. An 
analysis’ of some of the leading compounds of this class has 
shown that they are combinations of a few well known chemicals 
of which formalin, boracic acid and salicylic acid are the most 
common examples. If canners will use these chemicals they would 
display business foresight in buying them in pure rather than 
in proprietary form since they can be obtained pure for much 
less money. 
The objection to the use of these substances because of their 
effect upon digestion is well known and there is a growing ten- 
dency to legislate against their use. It has been maintained that 
the use of antiseptics is unavoidable in certain departments of 
canning; but the list of substances which have not been success- 
fully canned without the use of antiseptics is small. The use of 
*Chemical Composition of Food Preservatives. Iowa Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 
67. 1902. 
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