36 MAINE AGRICULTURAIv EXPERIMENT STATION. I9I4. 



Results of Inspection and Analyses. 



When the food law was enacted in 1905 a large part of the 

 molasses being sold in Maine was a cornpound made from a 

 dark colored molasses and glucose. Of the samples collected 

 by the Experiment Station in 1908 about one-third of the total 

 were found to be mixtures of glucose and molasses. With the 

 enforcement of the law requiring the labeling of retail pack- 

 ages when they are delivered to the consumer it has corrii.. 

 about that the demand on the part of the retailer for this adul- 

 trated molasses has dropped off. Relative to molasses the in- 

 spector always asks the retailer two questions : "Do. you sell 

 anything other than pure molasses?" "If so, have you stickers 

 or labels that you put upon the retail packages?" The results 

 of these inquiries show that the retailers for the most part do 

 not carry compounded molasses, and if they do that they have 

 the proper stickers. It is to be noted that out of the large num- 

 ber of samples that were purchased without the inspector mak- 

 ing himself known only three were found to be adulterated by 

 the addition of glucose. 



It has been reported by one wholesaler that they were finding 

 a very unfair competition in that other wholesalers were adul- 

 terating molasses by the addition of sugar house sirup. Sugar 

 house sirup has excellent color and added to molasses makes it 

 appear of a much lighter color than it otherwise would. Sugar 

 house sirups as a rule carry higher ash content than straignt 

 molasses. In the few instances in which molasses were found 

 with high ash content the cases were investigated but in no in- 

 stance was it ascertained beyond a reasonable doubt that the 

 molasses had refiners sirup. 



One of the most curious things that developed in this exani- 

 ination of molasses is that in the cities along the Kennebec 

 River (Augusta, Gardiner, Hallow ell) molasses retailed from 

 10 to 13 cents per pint while at other points in the State the 

 price ranged from 5 to 7 cents per pint. It will be noted that 

 the quality of the molasses in the towns which had the highei 

 price was no better than where the prices were lower, and that 

 the same price was charged for molasses carrying only 30 per 

 cent sucrose as for one of the higher grades carrying 45 per 

 cent. There seemed to be, so far as could be judged from this 

 inspection, very Httle difference in price due to the quaHty or 

 the molasses. 



