Detection of the Common Food Adulterants

EDWIN M. BRUCE INSTRUCTOR IN CHEMISTRY, INDIANA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
LONDON ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO., Ltd. 10 Orange Street, Leicester Square, W.C. 1907
Copyright, 1907 By D. Van Nostrand Co.

Because of the recent agitation of the pure food question throughout the country, health officers, food-inspectors, and chemistry teachers and students are constantly called upon to test the purity of various foods. And this usually involves nothing more than making simple qualitative tests for adulterants. In view of the fact that there is now no text or manual devoted exclusively to the qualitative examination of foods, this little book is offered to those who are interested in this work.
Its aim is to bring together in one small book the best and simplest qualitative tests for all the common food adulterants. It contains a brief statement of the adulterants likely to be found and the reason for their use. It is hoped that it will be specially valuable to chemistry teachers in furnishing excellent supplementary work in qualitative analysis. But it is hoped that it will find its greatest usefulness in contributing something toward the great pure food reform.
It is impossible to make due mention of all the sources from which these various tests have been collected, but where possible, the author’s name has been associated with the test.
Terre Haute, Ind. March 25, 1907.


PURE FOOD TESTS
Milk is adulterated by watering, removing the cream or by adding some foreign substance. Formaldehyde, boric acid or salicylic acid may be added to preserve the milk. Annatto, caramel or some coal-tar dye is added, sometimes to improve the color of the milk, and at other times to cover up traces of watering. Gelatin and starch are added for the same purpose, though they are not frequently used.