BUTTEUINE AS AN ARTICLE OF POOD. 113 



Section B. 



CHEMISTRY AND MINERALOGY. 



President of the Section : Mr. J. G. Black, M.A., DSc, Professor 

 q/ Chemistry and Mineralogy, University of Otago, New Zealand. 



Wednesday, August 29. 



[The President of the Section occupied the chair and apologised 

 for not having his address ready but proposed to read it on 

 the following morning.] 



The following papers were read : — 



1.— ON BUTTERINE AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD. 

 By Charles A. Smith, F.I.C, F.C.S. 



As the substance known here as Butterine has been brought 

 under my notice, and various contradictory statements made 

 regarding its nourishing properties, etc., I take this opportunity 

 of placing before you what information I possess on the subject. 

 Before giving you the results of my examination a little of the 

 general history of the article may be of interest. It appears to 

 have been first made in Holland about 1869 by a man named 

 Fuerge, and considerable quantities were sold in London as butter, 

 until the Health Authorities took the question up, and some 

 heavy penalties were imposed on people selling with intent to 

 defraud. In America also severe legislation is in force with 

 regard to it, going so far even as to enact that it should not be 

 coloured to imitate butter. The law in England compels all 

 manufactories to be registered, all cases containing it to be clearly 

 hibelled " Margarine," or Oleo-Margarine, in letters no less than 

 one inch in length, and all quantities exposed for sale to be 

 distinctly labelled. 



As to its value as a food substance, it is very hard to say 

 whether it is more or less valuable than the natural butter, 

 certainly it is less palateable than good butter. Even mice, who 

 as a rule are not too discriminating, will leave Butterine untouched 

 when the genuine article is exposed alongside of the substitute. 

 I 



