PUiiPOSES OF FOOD COLORING. 23 



The combinations not wanted were as follows : Five sources omitted 

 Uack only; 2, brown only; 1 blue and black; 1 brown and black; 1 

 green, violet, and black; and 1 brown, blue, green, woZetf, and black. 



Not one of these 12 sources wanted only the three colors not found 

 on the permitted list, and 2 sources did not want any of the three 

 missing shades nor two of the permitted colors. 



In view of this large difference of opinion among the 12 sources as 

 to the shades needed to make a complete set of food colors, the 5 

 shades selected for the permitted list of Food Inspection Decision 

 No. 76 seem reasonably close to any consensus of opinion derivable 

 from the tabulation of the collected facts. 



II. PURPOSES OF FOOD COLORING. 



The use of any color which conceals inferiority, or which gives an 

 article an appearance better than it properly possesses is, of course, 

 illegitimate, and such cases are not here considered. Among such 

 uses may be mentioned that of color in pastry to impart a yellow 

 color thereto, implying the presence of eggs, when they are either 

 wholly absent or are not present in sufficient quantities to produce a 

 shade of color which would indicate a superior quality. Such color- 

 ing is frequently resorted to in macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, and the 

 like, and it has also been stated in the literature that such coloring 

 has the additional function of concealing dirt actually present in the 

 flour. 



The addition of red coloring matter to melit products to give them 

 an appearance of freshness which they do not of themselves possess ; 

 the addition of red coloring matter to strawberry, raspberry, and 

 similar jams, jellies, and preserves, to give them a color indicative of 

 exceptional quality, even though they may contain none of the fruit 

 whose presence is intimated by the label on the product; the injection 

 of red coloring matter into ordinary oranges to give them the appear- 

 ance of blood oranges; the sprinkling of lemons and oranges with 

 green coloring matter to give them the appearance of a particular 

 origin or of a particular state of ripeness when such origin or state of 

 ripeness is without foundation in fact; the injection of red coloring 

 matter into watermelons to give them the appearance of ripeness, 

 which ripeness they do not possess, are practices met more or less 

 frequently. 



Among the purposes for which food colors are said to be used and 

 the foods so colored, the following are mentioned in the literature: 



In European countries. 



1. Macaroni is colored with Dinitrocresol (2) (Arch. Pharm., 3d ser., v. 22, p. 621) 

 and Martins Yellow (3) (Weyl, Handbuch). 



2. Cordials and liqueurs with Dinitrocresol (2) (Arch. Pharm., 3d ser., v. 22, p. 621). 



