76 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 355 



Bone ash studies made on the animals used in the above investigation showed 

 that the ash content of guinea pig femurs decreased from 60 to 70 percent down 

 to 35 to 40 percent in severe scurvy. As the scurvy was gradually cured, the ash 

 content of the bone increased. This increase in the ash content of the bones 

 tended to vary directly with the rate of recovery. Vitamin D did not appear to 

 have any marked effect on the ash content of guinea pig femurs either during the 

 development or during the cure of scurvy. 



Preservative Effects of Acetic and Benzoic Acids. (A. S. Levine, M. G. O'Con- 

 nor, and C. R. Fellers.) Investigations have been started to determine the specific 

 effects of benzoic acid and acetic acid (vinegar) on bacteria, yeast, and molds as 

 related to food and beverage preservation. The antiseptic property of acetic 

 acid may be due not to hydrogen-ion concentration alone but also to the un- 

 dissociated molecule. This acid is, in itself, bactericidal and enhances the pre- 

 servative property of sugar and salt. It also decreases the processing time re- 

 quired for canning products to which it is added. 



Benzoic acid and benzoate salts have long been used as food and beverage 

 preservatives. The mechanics of the preservative action is under investigation. 

 These salts act with much greater effectiveness at pH values below 5.6 than above 

 this point and approaching neutrality. The storage life of haddock and cod 

 fillets was greatly increased by dipping in a 5 percent salt brine containing from 

 .15 to .3 percent sodium or magnesium benzoate. The use of benzoated ice for 

 icing round fish materially improved keeping quality. The use of benzoate in 

 foods is legal but must be declared on the shipping containers. 



Cranberry Research. (C. R. Fellers, A. S. Levine, and Wm. B. Esselen, Jr.) 

 Cooperative cranberry storage experiments have been conducted for the third 

 and last year. Carbon dioxide-oxygen ratios were determined on monthly samples 

 of Early Black and Howes cranberries stored at 35°, 45°, 55°, and 60° F. The two 

 lower temperatures were again superior for storage of ripe or semi-ripe berries. 



Cranberry sauce packed with a dextrose-sucrose ratio of 1:3 had a better 

 flavor as determined by judging experiments than did the 100 percent sucrose 

 or the 1:1 ratio pack. Tests were conducted monthly for five months with the 

 above results. 



Two new products have been investigated for development: cranberry relish, 

 a pleasing combination of cranberries, oranges, and sugar preserved with 5 per- 

 cent alcohol; and cranberry wine, the fermentation product of cranberry juice 

 reinforced with the deficient elements necessary for yeast activity. 



The manufacture of cranberry juice has been described in a paper published 

 in the Fruit Products Journal, Vol. 18, No. 7, 1939. This is the first published 

 article on cranberry juice and is a result of studies extending over a period of 

 five years. 



Studies on experimental and commercial packs of canned cranberry sauce 

 show that the approximate amount of decayed fruit used in making the sauce 

 can be determined by means of a microscopic examination of the sauce. The 

 test consists in ascertaining the percentage of microscopic fields showing the 

 presence of mold filaments. The presence of mold in more than 50 percent of the 

 fields indicates that an excessive amount of decayed fruit was used in the sauce. 

 Quantitative aspects of this problem are now under study so that the informa- 

 tion may be available to the cranberry packers before the 1939 season. 



Studies of immature, half-colored, and fully ripe cranberries show that there is 

 no appreciable increase in vitamin C content with advancing maturity. 



Hemoglobin regeneration tests with anemic albino rats showed that the iron 

 of cranberries was fairly well utilized in the regeneration of the red blood cells. 



