COMMERCIAL CANNING OF FOODS. 59 



clean as machinery can make it. This cleaner consists of a series of wire combs, which 

 intermesh as the com passes through, and vnve cylinders which act as sifters. 



The corn is next mixed and cooked, and in this operation it is necessary to add 

 some water, otherwise it would become a dry, tough mass in the can. The quantity 

 of water used will depend upon the consistency desii-ed and the condition of the 

 com. Some varieties require more than others, but the average quantity used in 

 cream corn is about 5 ounces per can. It is also usual to add both salt and sugar to 

 the corn to give the desii-ed flavor. This is used in all grades, though more carefully 

 in the high grades than in the low. The eastern packers, as a rule, use more sugar 

 than the western. 



The care with which the cooking is done before the corn enters the can determines 

 in a large measure its appearance. Too much brine will give a sloppy can, while 

 too little gives a dry can. Insufficient cooking will leave the brine and corn separated ; 

 the quantity of brine may be right but the com may be dry in the bottom of the can 

 and most of the brine on top, or they may be mixed but not blended. The preliminary 

 heating is done by steam, using automatic machinery, which heats and evenly mixes 

 the corn and brine and at the same time fills the cans. The com enters the cans at 

 about 180° F., and the capping is done in the usual manner. 



(?orn is one of the most difficult products to process. It requires a temperature 

 of about 250° F. for 75 minutes to insure sterilization. There are packers who process 

 at from 240° to 245° for 90 minutes, and others who process their com twice to insure 

 keeping. The higher the temperature the browner the corn and the more pronounced 

 the cooked taste. The consistency of the corn makes a great difference in the heat 

 which must be used; the drier the com the slower the heat penetration. 



Com is packed as "cream corn," or, as it is sometimes called, "Maine style," the 

 kernels being cut as already described and the portion scraped from the cob added. 

 The product should be of a thick, creamy consistency. Again, the corn is cut from 

 the cob as closely as possible by knives, but only the whole grains are used, the bits 

 and scrapings being discarded; corn used in this way must have long, slender grains, 

 commonly called "shoe peg," and the quantity of brine be such as to keep the kernels 

 separate. This method of preparation is called "Maryland style" by the trade. 

 In some instances the corn is run through a recutter, which gives a grainy effect or 

 one like the cream com, depending upon the method of handling. This procedure 

 is also followed in working up com which has become too old to make a good regular 

 pack. Com may be run through slitting macliines, which cut the grains open on the 

 end and then squeeze out the contents, leaving it free from hull. Cut corn is also 

 mn through a "cyclone," a machine for forcing the creamy portion of the kernel 

 through a fine sieve, thus removing all of the hull and giving much the appearance 

 of green corn meal. 



Field corn is not used in canning. Some of the sweet corn used produces very 

 large ears and coarse grains, which give rise to the suspicion that field corn has been 

 Hubstituted. There has been a very general improvement in sweet corn in the last 

 10 years, and it will probably not be long before this coarser variety will give way 

 Ut a better and sweeter one. 



A can of fancy cofn when opened should be well filled (within throe-eighths of an 

 inch of the top), should bo abHolutcly young and tender stock, medium moist, prac- 

 tically free from silk f)r bits of fob (jr husk, only slightly darker than natural or of a 

 light golden-brown color, and have the distinctive young corn flavor. The weight of 

 the contents should br; about 21 ounces. If j)Ut uj) in. "Maryland style," tlu* kernels 

 should be separate and the brine nearly clear and the corn should weigh not less than 

 13.5 ounces, exclusive of the litpjor. 



A ran of standard corn should be well filled, rea.sonably tender, fairly bright color 

 or Mlightly brown, and nearly free from silk, bits of cob, or husk. The flavor should 

 b«' charafleri.Htic of young sweet corn. If put u|) in "Maryland style," a part of the 

 kernels may be HomewLat harden(;d and the brine a little cloudy. 



