Foods and Their Adulteration / Origin, Manufacture, and Composition of Food Products; Description of Common Adulterations, Food Standards, and National Food Laws and Regulations

by Harvey Washington Wiley

Adulteration of Potted Beef.

—From the average data given above it is seen that the principal adulteration in potted beef, assuming that the meat is beef, is starch. Two of the four samples contained starch, one more than 14 percent and one more than 11 percent. The admixture of starch is evidently solely for fraudulent purposes, to increase the weight and bulk with a very much cheaper substance and one for which no necessity for the addition can be claimed. It also increases the quantity of water which the product will carry. Saltpeter was found in one of the four samples and boric acid in two. One of the samples contained a large quantity of tin, due probably to the action of the potted meat upon the tin lining of the can.

Potted Deviled Meats.

—The term “deviled meat” is applied to a mixture of finely ground meat with spices, condiments, and other substances, and, like the term “potted,” is used rather to indicate a miscellaneous mixture than any single compound.

All that has been said respecting the composition of potted meat applies with equal force to deviled meat. If there be any difference at all it is understood by the term deviled that the spices and condiments are more pronounced in character and greater in quantity and the miscellaneous character of the goods more pronounced. Under the terms of “deviled” and “potted” may be found every kind of mixed and miscellaneous finely comminuted meat, flavored with all kinds of condimental substances and prepared so as to appeal as strongly as possible to the taste and desire of the consumer.

COMPOSITION OF POTTED BEEF.

Samples.	Composition of Original Material.																		Composition of Dry Material.
	Water.	Water in- fat- free- sub- stance.	Fat.	Nitrogen.		Nitrogenous substances.				Starch.	Glyco- gen, calcu- lated to dry fat- free mate- rial.	Salt- peter.	Total ash.	Sodi- um chlo- rid.	Heavy metals per kilogram.		Preser- vatives.	Total.	Pro- tein (N × 6.25).	Fat.	Ash.	Sodi- um chlo- rid.
				Total.	Meat bases.	Pro- tein (N × 6.25).	Pro- teids insol- uble in hot water.	Gelati- noids and pro- teids precip- itated by bromin.	Meat bases.
	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	Milli- grams.			P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.	P. ct.
1,	28.24	50.33	43.89	3.76	0.56	23.50	19.50	0.50	1.75	...	0.32	0.05	3.31	2.43	Tin	145.1	None	97.24	32.75	61.19	4.61	3.39
2,	51.80	64.40	19.58	...	...	...	...	...	...	14.26	...	...	...	...	...		Boric acid	...	...	40.62	...	...
3,	54.92	62.20	12.70	2.87	.64	17.94	12.88	1.06	2.00	11.56	.22	...	4.50	...	...		do	99.69	39.81	28.17	9.98	...
4,	65.51	72.92	10.26	3.14	.42	19.62	15.06	1.94	1.31	...	.25	...	2.30	...	...		None	96.44	36.88	29.75	6.67	...

It may be said, in connection with these goods, that there is no objection whatever to their manufacture and sale provided the meat used in their preparation is sound and sanitary, the conditions of manufacture clean and free of infection, and provided the fraudulent additions for the purpose of increasing bulk and weight are excluded, together with injurious preservatives and coloring matters, such as borax, saltpeter, sulfite of soda, etc.

Potted and deviled are not the only terms, however, which are used to express miscellaneous mixtures of meat products. The term “pâtés” is also employed for a large class of goods, among which the principal ones are the familiar pâté de foie gras, which should be made largely of fatty goose livers.

Composition of Pâtés.