A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF COLD 

 STORAGE ON EGGS, QUAIL, AND CHICKENS. 



GENERAL PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATION. 



In the act making appropriations for the Department of Agricul- 

 ture for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1905, Congress authorized the 

 Secretary of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Chemistry, " to inves- 

 tigate the adulteration of foods, condiments, beverages, and drugs, 

 when deemed by the Secretary of Agriculture advisable, and to pub- 

 lish the results of such investigations when thought advisable, and 

 also the effect of cold storage upon the healthfulness of foods." 



In order to carry into effect this provision of the act of Congress, a 

 study of the effects of cold storage was organized with the following 

 points in view: 



First. To ascertain in so far as possible the kinds and character of 

 food products kept in cold storage. 



Second. To ascertain the minimum, maximum, and average length 

 of time which such products were kept in cold storage. 



Third. To ascertain the usual temperatures at which foods were 

 held in cold storage. 



(To secure an expression from the trade on these points a circular 

 letter was prepared and forwarded to the leading cold-storage firms 

 whose addresses could be obtained, accompanied by a blank which 

 the persons receiving it were requested to fill out in as great detail 

 as possible. Copies of this circular and the information obtained in 

 reply thereto are given on pages 11 to 24.) 



Fourth. To ascertain the effects of cold storage upon the organo- 

 leptic, chemical, bacteriological, and histological properties of stored 

 foods. 



In planning the different lines of investigation which should be car- 

 ried on the following points were considered: 



It is evident that the effect of cold-storage must be in the first 

 place to inhibit, to a very large extent, the ordinary processes of fer- 

 mentation and decay. It is well known that bodies subjected to a 

 temperature below that of the freezing point respond very slowly 

 and very incompletely to the action of the ordinary ferments, so 

 that practically it may be stated that, so far as actual decay is con- 



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