MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 85 



The influence of the increasing quantities of oil on the food value 

 of a can of sardines is indicated in the column of Table 27 which 

 shows the total calories per can. These figures are the average re- 

 sults of the analysis of six cans. The food value of the sardines com- 

 posing lot 1 to which a minimum amount of oil was added was 201 

 calories per can, and that of those to which the maximum at£c* 

 oil was added (at the rate of 4 quarts per case) was 412 ; sIori«; 

 can. 



The fish composing lot 2 were much fatter than the Castine fish 

 used for lot 1. The influence of the fatness of the fish on the oil ' 

 present on opening the cans is shown. The cans which were oiled 

 at the rate of 3 quarts per case were nearly full, as were also those 

 oiled at the rate of 3^ quarts per case. The cans packed at the rate 

 of 4 quarts of oil per case were full of oil. The percentage recovery 

 of oil was much less when the cans were oiled at the rate of 3^- and 

 4 quarts than when smaller amounts of oil were added. To avoid 

 this loss, many packers do not add enough oil to make a good show- 

 ing when the can is opened. This is particularly true in cases where 

 the pack is composed of lean fish and where the oiling device is at- 

 tached to the sealing machine, allowing insufficient time for the oil 

 to be absorbed by the fish before some of it is squeezed out of the 

 can during the sealing operation. The resulting loss due to the 

 method of oiling and that due to poorly sealed cans which "weep" 

 oil after sealing are conditions which should be remedied in order to 

 avoid waste of oil. Not only is oil lost in this way but the product 

 also loses in food value. In this lot, at the rate of 1 quart of oil per 

 case, the average number of calories per can was 291, while at the 

 rate of 4 quarts per case the average was 469. The figures for the 

 calories at the other rates of oiling increased as the amount of oil 

 increased. 



The cans of lot 3, even those containing fish which had been oiled 

 at the rate of 4 quarts per case, were only about three-quarters full 

 of oil. These cans were poorly sealed, and consequently lost oil 

 during processing and while standing, as is shown by the fact that 

 an average of only 80.52 per cent of oil was recovered for all the 

 packs in this lot. The food value is also low as compared with that 

 of lot 2. 



The fish used in lot 4 were very fat, containing 55.76 per cent of 

 water and 16 per cent of fat. The cans packed at the rate of 4 

 quarts per case were only three-quarters full of oil when opened. 

 Considering the care taken in packing, the percentage amount of 

 oil recovered was small. On the other hand, the food value agreed 

 very well with that of the other packs and showed the same varia- 

 tions according to the quantity of oil present. That the food value 

 5890°— 20— Bull. 908 5 





