MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 53 



Table 25. — Effect of various conditions of drying on water content offish. 



Condition offish. 



Water 

 content. 



Differ- 

 ence. 



Actual 

 loss of 

 water. 



Lot 1 (three-quarter mustards): 



From steam box 



Dried 2 hours at 100° F : 



Dried 7 hours,left over night, and dried 1 J hours the following morning. 

 Lot 2 (three-quarter mustards): 



Raw fish (after salting) 



From steam box 



Dried 15 minutes, 1 revolution of wheel, coal fire, left at room tempera- 

 ture for 40 hours 



Lot 3 (one-quarter oils): > 



Raw fish (after salting) 



From steam box, not dried * 



Dried 20 minutes 



Dried 40 minutes 



Dried 1 hour 



Dried 1 hour and 20 minutes 



Dried 1 hour and 40 minutes 



Dried 2 hours 



Lot 4 (one-quarter oils): 2 



Raw (after salting) 



From steam box (steamed 15 minutes) 



Dried 20 minutes 3 



Dried 40 min utes 



Dried 1 hour 



Dried 1 hour and 20 minutes 



Dried 1 hour and 40 minutes 



Dried 2 hours 



Per cent. 

 63.65 

 59.98 

 54.20 



63.88 

 63.86 



55.70 



65.40 

 64.70 

 62.33 

 64.28 

 61.12 

 62.67 

 62.53 

 60.63 



70.38 

 67.64 

 64.75 

 61.18 

 61.18 

 62.26 

 58.40 

 58.05 



Per cent. 



3.67 

 5.78 



9.20 

 20.63 



18.47 



.70 

 2.37 

 1.95 

 1.21 

 1.55 



.14 

 1.90 



1.98 

 8.15 

 3.14 



11.01 

 7.31 

 7.43 



12.17 



2.74 

 2.89 

 3.57 

 0.00 

 1.08 

 3.86 

 .35 



8.47 

 15.97 

 23.70 

 23.70 

 21.52 

 28.80 

 29.32 



1 Rain fell during the entire day, making the conditions most unfavorable for drying. 

 * Experiment conducted on a bright, clear, cool day, ideal for drying. 



'Usual air (tunnel) dryer, run with a very large volume of aira little hotter than that usually found, 

 was used. 



The marked difference in the rate of drying of lot 3 and that of lot 4 

 is due to the presence in the air of moisture during the entire day on 

 which the experiment with lot 3 was conducted. The effect of such 

 unfavorable drying conditions is well shown in the small variations 

 in the water content of the fish at different intervals of drying, an 

 actual loss of only 12.17 per cent of water occurring during the 2 hours 

 the fish remained in the drier. 



The experiment on lot 4, consisting of fish from Castine, strongly 

 salted and of a size packing 14 to 18 fish to the can, was conducted 

 on a bright, clear, cool day, ideal for drying. The air (tunnel) drier 

 was run with a large volume of air, a little hotter than is customary, 

 the temperature in front of the steam coils ranging from 110° to 115° 

 F. The total loss of water from these fish amounted to 29.32 per cent 

 for the two hours they were in the drier. Under the conditions pre- 

 vailing drying for a period of from 20 to 30 minutes would have been 

 sufficient for this particular lot of fish. The fish being packed at 

 the cannery from the same lot, however, were being dried from 40 to 

 45 minutes. 



The physical appearance of the various packs at the different 

 drying intervals was as follows : 



Lot 1 . — The mustard sauce in the cans packed with fish taken directly 

 from the steam box was darker and somewhat thinner than the original 

 sauce, and contained small particles of broken flesh. The flesh of the 



