To determine how long the ketchup would keep after opening, 8 bottles from each of the first 9 experiments were kept in the kitchen at a temperature of about 72° F., 5 were kept in an incubator at a temperature of 95° F., 5 were kept in the laboratory at a temperature of about 67° F., and 4 were kept in an inclosed porch where the temperature ranged from 30° to 60° F. This made a total of 198 bottles. No precautions, other than those of ordinary cleanliness, were taken in opening the bottles, as it was desired to determine the keeping properties under conditions of general usage. The first set of bottles was opened November 5, immediately on being received at the laboratory, all of the ketchup having been kept at the factory until the experiment begun in September was completed. The bottles were covered loosely with a metal cap and observed daily, a record being kept of the date and character of spoilage.

The results showed that the differences in the time and temperature of processing had little, if any, effect in checking the spoilage; neither did the use of acetic acid or oil extracts. The most important precaution in checking the spoilage after opening seems to be to keep the ketchup cool. This is shown by the average number of days which elapsed before spoilage occurred in the sets kept under different temperature conditions. For those kept in the kitchen the average number of days was six, the minimum three, and the maximum eleven. Those in the incubator kept for an average of five days, with a minimum of two days, and a maximum of eight. Those in the laboratory had an average of eight days, the minimum being four days and the maximum twenty-two. Those kept in the porch lasted on an average twenty-seven days, a minimum of twelve days, and a maximum of fifty-eight.

These figures show the definite relation of temperature to spoilage under the conditions of ordinary use. In making the observations, the metal cap was removed each day, but no ketchup was poured off. The spoilage in all cases was due to mold, and usually this formed in the neck of the bottle where the ketchup had splashed, or at the junction of the ketchup with the bottle. The spoilage was recorded as soon as the slightest growth appeared. In actual use if the neck were wiped out when the ketchup had been used and a growth of mold removed on its first appearance with some of the proximate ketchup the time before spoilage occurred could be prolonged. In these experiments the attempt was made to determine how soon growth appeared under the various conditions of temperature named.

The unopened bottles of ketchup were kept in a basement room, the temperature of which is fairly constant, being about 70° F. This is approximately the condition in a grocery where the ketchup is kept on the shelves. Another set of samples from the run of September, 1907, was opened February 11, 1908, to determine if storing in a warm room before opening had any effect on the length of time preceding spoilage. Four bottles were taken from each of the first 9 experiments to make up each of three sets, one of which was kept in the kitchen, one in the incubator, and one in the porch, making a total of 108 bottles. The average number of days for those kept in the incubator was four, the minimum two, and the maximum six. The average number of days before spoilage in the kitchen was five, the minimum being three and the maximum nine. Those kept in the porch gave an average of twenty-three days, the minimum number being eighteen days and the maximum seventy-three days. Thus it is seen that the ketchup lasted nearly five times as long at a temperature of 30° to 60° F. as it did at 72°; and also that when ketchup is kept in a warm place before opening, spoilage occurs somewhat sooner, the average for the fresh samples opened under the same conditions being one day more with the incubator and kitchen samples and four days more with the porch samples.

A third set of bottles of the ketchup was opened on June 6, 1908, or two hundred and sixty-five days after manufacture. They had been kept in a basement at a temperature of about 70° F.

One set was placed in the incubator at a temperature of 95° F., one set in the kitchen at about 82° F., and one set in the refrigerator at 46° F. The weather was warm and the conditions favorable to the spoilage of fresh foods. The minimum time for spoilage in the incubator was two days, the maximum time four days, and the average time three and two-tenths days. The minimum time in the kitchen was two days, the maximum time six days, and the average time four and four-tenths days. The minimum time in the refrigerator was nine days, the maximum time nineteen days, and the average time thirteen and sixty-six one-hundredths days.

These data are grouped in the following table for easier comparison:

Time of spoilage of ketchup at different temperatures after opening.

OPENED ON NOVEMBER 5, 1907, IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT FROM FACTORY;MAXIMUM AGE, FIVE WEEKS.
Place of storage. Temperature.Lapse of time before spoilage.
Average. Minimum.Maximum.
° F. Days. Days. Days.
Incubator 95 5 2 8
Kitchen 72 6 3 11
Laboratory 67 8 4 22
Porch30-60 27 12 58
KEPT AT 70° F. FOR ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAYS BEFORE OPENING ONFEBRUARY 11.
Incubator 95 4 2 6
Kitchen 72 5 3 9
Porch 30-60 23 18 73
KEPT AT 70° F. FOR TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE DAYS BEFORE OPENING ONJUNE 6.
Incubator 95 3.2 2 4
Kitchen 82 4.4 2 6
Refrigerator 46 13.66 9 19