ANNUAL REPORT, 1932 41 



DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURAL MANUFACTURES 

 W. W. Chenoweth in Charge 



Technological Investigation and Nutritive Value of New England 

 Fruit Products. (C. R. Fellers and J. A. Clague.) Apple juice extracted within 

 a few seconds by means of a small centrifugal extractor proved to be a very satis- 

 factory beverage, though differing materially in color, flavor, and consistency from 

 pressed sweet cider. The fresh juice darkened rapidly and formed a fine sediment. 

 Both freshly made and 24-hour-old juices had lost 10 to 30 per cent of the vitamin 

 C content of the original fruit. Pasteurized cider and strained apple sauce retained 

 practically no vitamin C, while benzoated cider and unstrained apple sauce re- 

 tained 20 to 40 per cent of the vitamin C. In the Baldwin apple, the vitamin C is 

 concentrated in the epidermis and in the fleshy cortex. The epidermis is about 

 4 times as active as the fiesh near it, and 6 to 10 times as active as the flesh in the 

 pulpy area near the core. 



While the Baldwin apple is a rich source of vitamin C, the Mcintosh is very poor. 

 When 25 grams a day were fed to guinea pigs, there was some scurvy protection 

 and bare maintenance of weight. 



Baldwin apples had lost about 20 per cent of their vitamin C content after 4 to 

 6 months storage at 36° F.; after 8 to 10 months the loss had reached nearly 40 

 per cent. 



Ten leading New England varieties are now being tested for vitamin C. 



Manufacture, Preservation and Nutritive Value of Cranberry Products. 



(C. R. Fellers and J. A. Clague.) Approximately 50 varieties of cranberries were 

 again examined chemically and made into strained and whole-fruit sauce. Many 

 varieties were found unsuitable for manufacturing purposes. In fact, a blend of 

 several varieties gives the best cranberry sauce in point of flavor. Data were 

 collected on the manufacturing methods employed by canners and preservers of 

 cranberry products. For canning cranberry sauce only well-tinned re-enameled 

 cans will satisfactorily preserve the flavor and color for a year at room tempera- 

 tures. Corrosion and perforation of the can, and discoloration of the sauce are 

 greatly reduced at storage temperatures of 32° to 40° F. Either slow or quick- 

 frozen cranberries can be used for sauce manufacture. The canned sauce made 

 from frozen berries kept in storage for one year was fully equal in quality to that 

 made from fresh fruit. 



Vitamin studies made by P. D. Isham, aided by funds furnished by the American 

 Cranberry Exchange, have further proved the high antiscorbutic value of the 

 fresh and frozen cranberry and whole-fruit cranberry sauce. Strained sauce, 

 pasteurized juice, jelly, and evaporated whole cranberries retained very little 

 vitamin C. Cranberries were shown to contain about 0.2 rat unit per gram of 

 vitamin A. Negative results were obtained for vitamins B, D, and G. 



Additional blood and urine examinations were made on young men fed measured 

 quantities of cranberries. The blood alkali reserve was not significantly decreased 

 unless 5 ounces or more of cranberry sauce was eaten. The conjugation of benzoic 

 and quinic acids in the body produced urinary acidities in proportion to the amounts 

 of cranberry ingested, though 5 ounces or less of cranberry sauce produced rela- 

 tively slight increases in either the H-ion concentration or the hippuric acid. 

 These results indicate that moderate or even generous servings of cranberries may 

 be eaten without fear of reducing the blood alkali reserve to a dangerous degree. 



Cranberry juice has been prepared both by the cold-pressing and heat-extrac- 

 tion methods. For cold-pressing, the berries should be ground and allowed to 

 stand in a cool place for 12 to 24 hours to increase the color of the pressed juice. 



