official inspections 65. i73 



Pork Sausage. 



The gist of the regulations as regards the sale of pure and 

 adulterated sausage is summed up in the following : — Pork 

 sausage should be composed of minced, fresh pork to which 

 salt, spices, and nothing else has been added. It should con- 

 tain no larger amount of water than the meat from which it is 

 made. Pork sausage true to name can be lawfully sold without 

 labels. Pork sausage to which cereal, water, or anything else 

 has been added needs to be labeled to show exactly what it is. 



In the case of the manufacture of sausage it seems to be a 

 fairly common practice to add more or less water. Some man- 

 ufacturers state that they only add as much water as is neces- 

 sary in ordei co make the sausage in such condition that they 

 can be worked and put in the cases. While the addition of 

 water softens the sausage, it is perfectly possible to make sau- 

 sage from pure meat, salt and spices without the addition of 

 water. Cereals, such as flour, are frequently added to pork 

 sausage. Some of the spice mixtures sold for sausage flavor- 

 ing are adulterated with cereal.. It seems that cereal is added 

 chiefly so that the sausage may hold more water. Thus it is 

 possible to take 50 pounds of meat and 5 pounds of flour and 

 add water enough to make 100 pounds of sausage. While it 

 is doubtful if such an extreme adulteration is actually practiced, 

 many cases have been found where large amounts of water are 

 added. Most manufacturers who are using both cereal and 

 water are labeling their sausage "cereal added." That, how- 

 ever, is not enough. Correct labeling of pork sausage to which 

 cereal has been added and which contains more water than the 

 meat from which the sausage is made is "Pork sausage, cereal 

 and water added." 



The food value of sausage depends upon the protein and fat. 

 Both of these constituents have a direct relation to the water, and 

 because of this mutual relation between fat, protein, and water 

 it is easy to tell with considerable degree of accuracy whether or 

 not sausage has been adulterated by the addition of water. 

 Adulteration by the addition of cereal can be directly learned 

 by the presence of starch which all cereals carry and which meat 

 does not contain. 



The results of analyses of samples collected in the spring of 

 1914 are given on the following page: 



