318 SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF DAIRYING. 



20 kilos., which was formerly obtained, but the product was of an 

 inferior quality. It was richer in stearin, and possessed a higher 

 melting point (40 to 43'4 C.) in the poorer sorts, but a firmer 

 consistence. The other difficulties which were met with in the 

 more extended use of this product were sought to be overcome. 

 Thus, in order to lower its melting point and to improve its condition, 

 the cheaper kinds of plant oils were employed, such as earth-nut 

 oil, cotton-seed oil, walnut oil, rape oil, the poorer sorts of olive oil, 

 the oil of fenugreek, cocoa oil, cocoa-kernel oil, sesame oil, &c. 

 In short, as an increase in the production of oleomargarine from 

 ox tallow was no longer possible, manufacturers were forced to 

 utilize other kinds of fat in the manufacture of oleomargarine, 

 ' which offered little difficulty, since, by the simultaneous use of plant 

 oils, fats of firmer consistency could be used. 



The nature of the different kinds of fat which were used, or sup- 

 posed to be used, can be seen from the patents taken out in connec- 

 tion with this article. In addition to ox tallow the following were 

 used: Veal tallow, bacon fat, goose fat, slaughter-house fat, stearin, 

 fat from soap-boiling manufacturers, and fat from flaying-houses, 

 a bad discoloured fat possessing a disagreeable smell, and purified 

 by treatment with strong mineral acids. At present the larger part 

 of the raw material of oleomargarine which is treated by the mar- 

 garine factories is no longer obtained in Europe, but by import from 

 North America, and probably from Australia, that is, from sources 

 not under inspection. This is not unimportant. Through certain 

 infectious diseases the fatty material of sick animals may undergo 

 changes which render very dangerous to mankind the consumption 

 of the fat obtained from them. By the careless preparation of oleo- 

 margarine, there is a possibility that the spores of animal parasites, 

 and, \vh<>re traces of the muscle substances are contained in the fat, 

 even trichiniae, may be introduced into the margarine. This is 

 all the more important, since in the preparation of oleomargarine a 

 temperature of at most 65 C. is employed, a temperature which 

 cannot be regarded as invariably effecting the destruction of the 

 above-mentioned organisms. Although up to the present no case of 

 illness has been proved to be directly due to the partaking of mar- 

 garine, this does not guarantee that serious outbreaks of illness 

 might not suddenly arise, due to the use of bad margarine. The 

 use of plant fats in the preparation of margarine is also open to 

 objection. Plant fats consist of different mixtures of fats from that 



