PURE FOOD TESTS
CHAPTER I
DAIRY PRODUCTS
MILK
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.
ARTIFICIAL COLORING MATTER
Annatto
Add acid sodium carbonate to a sample of the milk until it shows a slight alkaline reaction. Immerse a piece of filter-paper and leave it in for 12 or 15 hours. If annatto is present, there will be a reddish-yellow stain on the paper.
Caramel
Leach’s Method.—Warm 150 cc. of the sample and add 5 cc. of acetic acid, then continue heating it nearly to the boiling point, stirring while it is being heated. Separate the curd by gathering it with the stirring rod or by pouring through a sieve. Press out all the whey from the curd and macerate the latter for several hours (10 to 12 hours) in 50 cc. of ether. It is best to do this in a tightly corked flask, shaking it frequently. If the milk was uncolored or colored with annatto the curd when thus treated will be white. If the curd is a dull brown color caramel was probably used to color the milk. Confirm its presence by shaking a portion of the curd with concentrated hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.20) and gently heating. If the acid solution turns blue while the curd does not change its color, caramel was used to color the milk. (Remember that the ether-extracted curd must be brown.)