10 BULLETIN 1265, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
of the canned spinach. It was found that if sufficient bicarbonate 
was used to make the material distinctly alkaline, the green color 
would be preserved to a considerable extent, but that such material 
was distinctly objectionable to the taste. Unless the spinach was 
made distinctly alkaline, however, the chlorophyll was destroyed in 
the processing of the cans, and the product came out with the usual 
olive-green or brownish green color. 
EFFECT OF SCALDING UPON THE TASTE AND FLAVOR OF SPINACH. 
In the cooking of fresh vegetables in an open pot or kettle, some of 
the volatile flavoring substances pass off in the steam. In the case of 
some vegetables it is desirable to retain these, but with others- the 
retention of the volatile substances results in a less palatable product. 
This is true of spinach. In these tests, the spinach sealed in the tin 
cans without any preliminary scalding was decidedly objectionable 
to the taste, due to the rank and pungent flavors which were pre- 
vented from escaping from the can. But spinach packed in glass 
jars which were not sealed, so as to allow the volatile substances to 
escape, was pleasing to the taste and satisfactory. 
The chemical nature of these volatile substances was not studied in 
the present work, but it is probable that they were made up in con- 
siderable part of essential oils. Masters and Garbutt (J/.1) have 
noted the liberation of hydrogen sulphid during the cooking of green 
vegetables, and Ott (JfS) has also noted the liberation of sulphur 
compounds, but it would seem that in the brief cooking which takes 
place during the scalding the amount of sulphur compounds given 
off would be very small. 
The spinach scalded in steam was judged to be somewhat better 
flavored than that scalded in boiling water, and it was sweeter to the 
taste. This showed again for the steam-treated material that the 
substances objectionably affecting the taste were readily volatilized 
and passed off in the steam and that the sugar, which is in large 
measure lost when the spinach is scalded in water, was retained in 
the steamed material. 
The spinach scalded in 2 per cent brine was considered as having 
a better flavor than that scalded in distilled water, but when the 
latter was seasoned with salt in equal quantity no marked differences 
in flavor were detected. 
In the case of spinach chilled in cold water after scalding, and that 
of spinach not chilled, there were no distinguishable differences in 
flavor. 
CHEMICAL CHANGES IN SPINACH DURING SCALDING. 
The spinach used in these analyses was from seed planted in the 
spring, and was found to be somewhat lower in total solids than 
that from seed planted in the fall. 
Table 1 shows the results of chemical analyses of the material, 
both before and after the scalding process, and also after chilling 
in cold water following the scalding process. The analyses are not 
complete in all respects, but they show in a general way the nature 
of the changes which occur when spinach is being prepared for the 
can. Analyses of numerous series of similar samples would have 
been desirable, but lack of time and materia] prevented a thorough 
chemical study. The losses which occurred are not evident from this 
