Food Preservatives. 87 



Food PreserA)atives 



By Charles L. Bliss, State Food and Drug Inspection Bureau. 



It is not an easy matter to treat a subject as broad and as im- 

 portant as Food Preservatives in as thorough and comprehensive 

 a manner as it deserves in a hmited space of time. However, I 

 will endeavor to cover the ground as well as I can, giving a little 

 attention to the general aspects of the subject and taking up only 

 the more common preservatives and treating them in a general 

 rather than a detailed way. 



Many foods being very prone to decay it was quite natural that 

 dealers and manufacturers should cast about for some method 

 of keeping them in good condition 'till they could be disposed of. 

 Of course sterilization or refrigeration answers the purpose best, 

 and to these should be added the careful selection of the food 

 itself, using only what is in good condition and fit for food, since 

 mixing bad with the good contaminates all. But sterilization 

 and refrigeration are not always practicable or easily accom- 

 plished, or may require increase in operating expenses ; and fur- 

 ther, much of the material which ought to be rejected can be 

 utilized if skillfully treated. So what is more natural in these 

 days of high cost and close competition than to cut out these ex- 

 penses of sterilization, refrigeration and rejection of material 

 and accomplish the end by the addition of a little cl^emical pre- 

 servative? Besides the heat necessary for the proper steriliza- 

 tion of some foods, detracts from their appearance, while chemi- 

 cal preservatives do not produce such effects ; on the contrary, 

 they sometimes enhance the appearance. 



Meats can be preserved by drying, smoking, salting, or pick- 

 ling; these processes were used ages ago just as they are being 

 used today, and there is no objection to them when properly done. 

 But nowadays some of the butchers want a c^uicker method of 

 smoking hams than by the old smokehouse way, so they soak the 



