58 PRELIMINARY COLD STORAGE STUDIES. 



of the United States because of the almost universal use and enor- 

 mous increase within recent years of cold-stored food products of 

 varied kinds and from many sources. 



The progressive cold-storage warehousemen are also eager for 

 scientifically acquired data, that they may improve their product 

 thereby. From the point of view of pure science the field for investi- 

 gation would seem to be almost limitless and filled to overflowing 

 with information most interesting and valuable to the chemist, 

 bacteriologist, and histologist. The domain of the study is so vast, 

 and the factors which must be considered in the correlation and inter- 

 pretation of results are so numerous and far reaching in their effects, 

 that the question has not been "What phase of the problem shall be 

 investigated?", but, rather, " Which question can be deferred with 

 least injury to the interpretation of the results already obtained?", 

 since all seem to be interdependent and must be taken into account 

 when any individual question is under consideration. 



In view of the fact that this field of investigation is almost barren 

 of reported results and because of its diversified interests, it has seemed 

 better to make a general study of the chemical, bacteriological, and 

 histological conditions prevailing in the case of some standard cold- 

 stored product rather than to follow any one line of scientific work ? 

 though such a procedure would have made possible the addition of 

 many details now waiting to be investigated. Poultry in general, 

 and chickens in particular, have been selected as objects for study, 

 not only because they are of enormous economic value, but, being 

 small, highly organized, and easily obtained they would seem to be 

 eminently suited to the present investigation. 



With the extravagant advocacy of the advantages of cold storage, 

 as claimed by some of those commercially interested on the one side, 

 and the increasing prejudice against cold-stored foods in the minds 

 of the laity on the other, this discussion can not deal. Suffice it to 

 say that such contradictory statements led to the macroscopic exami- 

 nation of chickens which, intended for the general market, had been 

 for varying lengths of time in cold storage, a comparison being made 

 with fresh chickens of like breed and age. 



The results of such observations would seem to demonstrate that, 

 in appearance, odor, and texture of the flesh, long storage at low 

 temperatures causes a variation from the normal fresh bird, and also 

 that the changes which do occur slowly and requiring long periods 

 are not comparable with those occurring rapidly and at ordinary 

 temperatures. A discussion of the macroscopic changes, particularly 

 those which might be observed by the housewife, has already been 

 published. a A logical sequence of such a study is the microscopic exam- 

 ination of the tissues of such chickens, their chemical analysis, and a 



"Yearbook of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1907. 



