(2 BULLETIN 908, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
the fish. The fish i the cans of the 6-year-old lot were covered 
with the same soft, white material. These cans contained only a 
small amount of visible oil, and the fish adhered to the lid of the can 
when opened. The interior of the can was detinned to a greater 
extent in this lot than in any of the others. The results of these 
analyses are given in Table 31. 
TABLE 31.—Ammonia and amine content of sardines after long periods of storage. - 
Total volatile | Total volatile | 
nitrogen (N) | nitrogen(N) | P ee 
to} 
per baie, per 109 grams, total as— 
Condition of fish. [ESS Sle oe eae oe | eee | eee ee Appearance. 
= g S&S 8 
5 SSeS eae cee oo leeeai as 
Dac, ele t | ata Sealers z 4 gs] 8 
Arya ls | oS las hh 
Ele: 4) A) | Pea ee 
| P.ct.|P.ct.| Mg.| Mg.| Mg.| Mg.| Mg.| Mg.|P.ct.\P. ct. ; 
Best grade, packed2 and {55 88 20.73] 46. 6| 17.3] 29.3] 46.9] 20. 1] 26.8) 42.9] 57.1 |" apparentiy ty irom 
held 2 years. |\54. 15/21. 76} 40. 8} 17.4] 23.4] 46. 6] 15.6] 31.0} 33.5] 66.5 lid badly detinned. 
Poorer grade,packed and | 08/18. 73} 39.6} 14.7] 24.9) 44.7] 17.8] 26.9] 39.8 Be ee and 
held 2 years. |\55. 40!20. 95 43. 1| 18.9] 24.2] 37.7] 5.0| 32.7 13.3) 86.7/f firm. 
| | Very poor: soft white 
Packed and held 4 hoe lee 60) 33.8) 14.0} 19.8} 37.2] 5. 9| 31,2} 15.9) 84.1)} material, probably 
years. rece esses Seder IsSes: esses 45.9} 6 4) 39.5) 13.9) 86.1) stearin, spread over 
| || fish. 
. | Poor, covered with 
white material; small 
Packed and held 6 |f57.75)21. 94) 60.6) 14.9) 45.7] 51.1) 8.6} 42.5] 16.8) 83.2'} amount ofvisible oil; 
ViCiS vee teste cscs | toes |\igsaee | See lose a [incase | ees 5 6923) 522 @)glselsseaae= fish adhered to lid; 
large amount of de- 
| | | tinning. 
| | 
1 Determinations and separations made on 50-gram samples. 
2 Determinations made on 3-gram samples. 
3 Lost. 
The results show that a change in the relative amount of ammonia 
and amines occurred, the degree depending on the time the fish 
remained in storage. The total amount of alkaline material was 
quite constant in the 2-and 4-year-old goods, but increased noticeably 
in the 6-year-old pack. The quantity of ammonia, both in the actual 
amount obtained and in the percentage of the total volatile nitrogen, 
decreased, while the amines increased directly with the age of the 
goods. Kltminating one determination, which shows a very low 
ammonia content on the 2-year-old packs, the average percentage 
amount of the total was 38.7, while the three determinations on the 
4-and 6-year-old packs showed only 15.5 per cent of the total alkaline 
material as ammonia, with a corresponding increase of from 61.3 to 
84.5 per cent, respectively, In nitrogen as amines. 
An experiment was conducted to ascertain whether these changes 
in the canned fish could be followed during shorter periods of standing 
at ordinary room temperature. A pack of a little more than half a 
case of quarter oils was made from fish which had just been landed 
