ICE-CREAM STANDARDS 191 



Just what significance should be attached to these bac- 

 terial counts depends chiefly upon the types or kinds of 

 organisms that are present in the ice cream. Certain 

 varieties may produce toxins, while others are harmless. 



Cases are on record where ice cream caused digestive 

 derangements, headache, diarrhea and symptoms of 

 poisoning soon after the eating. Such cases of illness are 

 commonly explained as ptomaine poisoning and are usually 

 due to unsanitary conditions of the raw material (cream, 

 gelatine, etc.), the ice-cream factory, or prolonged storage 

 of the ice cream. 



The owners of one large ice-cream factory guarantee 

 their product sold to be absolutely free from tubercle 

 bacilli, and other disease-producing bacteria, and to contain 

 no more than 25,000 germs per cubic centimeter when 

 delivered to the consumer. At this particular plant a bac- 

 terial count is made of all the cream to be frozen. Separate 

 counts are made (i) of the cream after homogenization, (2) 

 of the mix before freezing and (3) of the frozen product 

 ready for shipment. The counts run, on an average, about 

 as follows: cream, 2000 bacteria per cubic centimeter; 

 mix, 12,000 per cubic centimeter, and ice cream 24,000 

 per cubic centimeter. The ice cream is also tested for 

 gas-producing organisms, any bacteria of the B. Coli 

 type being considered a very objectionable contamination. 

 The analysis report card used in this work is as follows: 



