34 EXPERIMENTS ON THE SPOILAGE OF TOMATO KETCHUP. 



to employees whose only care is that the ketchup shall have a 

 bright color and shall "keep." Some of the mould filaments and 

 conidia are distorted in the same way as those of the Penicillium are 

 when grown in ketchup to which sodium benzoate has been added. 

 The ketchup made from sound tomatoes and manufactured in a 

 cleanly manner has practically no fungi present. The ketchup that 

 was used in these experiments was made at different times during 

 the season and was of this character, no bottle examined showing 

 mold filaments when first opened. 



MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF SOME COMMERCIAL BRANDS. 



In examining ketchup the color, odor, amount of discoloration, 

 presence of foreign tissue, foreign coloring matter, oil, and fungi 

 were determined. If no preservative was mentioned, some of the 

 ketchup was put in petri dishes and inoculated with Penicillium to 

 determine whether growth could take place. The following examina- 

 tions are reported, as they represent some of the best known brands 

 on the market: 



No. 9. Opened September 2, 1907; age unknown; pint bottle; no preservative 

 mentioned; not spoiled July 6 of following year. This ketchup was guaranteed to be 

 made from fresh, ripe, tomatoes by a new process. The color is an unnatural red, has 

 not faded, and the odor is good. The microscope showed the presence of much refuse, 

 and large quantities of fungi, whole colonies of molds, the filaments distorted, many 

 yeast cells, and bacteria. The red color was not confined to the red crystalline bodies, 

 as is the case in ripe tomatoes, but the whole of the protoplasm of the cells, including 

 the nucleus and nucleolus was red, as were also most of the mold filaments and yeast, 

 indicating the presence of considerable artificial coloring matter. The structure 

 indicated that the stock had been manufactured from "trimmings," and further, 

 that they were not fresh when used, but had fermented. There was no oil present. 

 The ''new process" is a success in keeping ketchup, as no preservative is mentioned. 

 The price was 20 cents. 



No. 112. Another bottle of the same brand of ketchup; examined in April, 1908; 

 presumably manufactured in 1907; one-twelfth of 1 per cent of sodium benzoate 

 declared on label; a bright red; guaranteed to be from fresh ripe tomatoes and uncol- 

 ored. The microscope showed no dyeing of the tissues, few fungi, and no extraneous 

 matter. The price was 20 cents. 



No. 17. Opened September 28, 1907; age unknown; a pint bottle; sodium ben- 

 zoate declared on supplemental label, no amount being stated; reddish brown color, 

 badly discolored on top; greasy odor; not spoiled July 6, 1908; refuse present; large 

 amount of oil; many fungi; the mold filaments enlarged and distorted. The price 

 was 15 cents. 



No. 109. Another bottle of the same brand examined in April, 1908; presumably 

 manufactured the preceding year; had one-tenth of 1 per cent of sodium benzoate; 

 not spoiled July 6, 1908; reddish brown color, discolored near top; greasy odor. 

 This was practically the same as the first bottle examined, had fewer mold filaments, 

 but many bacteria. 



No. 18. Opened September 28, 1907; age unknown; pint bottle; no preservative 

 mentioned; not spoiled July 6, 1908. A neck label stated that it is made from sound 



