Use Of Aspirin In Preserves Unsafe

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31597, 7 February 1968, Page 2

Use Of Aspirin In Preserves Unsafe

The addition of aspirin tablets to preserved fruit may be harmful, says the home science section of the Department of Agriculture.

When aspirin dissolves it yields salicylic acid, which is toxic. Its use in commercial preserving is prohibited by the Food and Drugs Act. Because of the temptation of many women to increase the “dose” in the hope of getting an even better result, home science officers consider its use should be discouraged. The common belief that the addition of an aspirin to a jar of preserved fruit will improve the flavour and colour and reduce the cooking time is an old wives’ tale, they say. Although it is a preservative if used in correct

quantity, it is unsafe. Another short cut often advocated is to add a teaspoon of vinegar to preserved beans which have been cooked only 20 minutes. To make this method safe so much vinegar would be required that the vegetables would be inedible. The department says some bottlers who show tomatoes merely pack the jar with fruit and fill it with hot water, which will form a seal but will not preserve the contents. “No quick methods of pre-

serving food are safe,” said a home science official yesterday. She advocated the use of a reputable recipe book, suitable for New Zealand conditions, such as the university extension bulletin, “Preserving.” She listed the two suitable methods for preserving fruit. Cold Pack: Clean and prepare the fruit and pack it into jars filled to within half an inch of the tops with syrup. Place the seals on lightly and screw them down. Process in the oven or boiling waterbath for the given time. Open Kettle: Stew the fruit, pack it into sterilised jars and seal them. Boil for 10 minutes to sterilise. It is important that the fruit be boiling when packed and that the jars and tops be sterilised. This is a quick method but the result is not as attractive as the result of the cold pack method. Vegetables, which are nonacid, must be processed for three hours in a waterbath. After they have been prepared they should be blanched to preserve the colour, remove bacteria, and stop enzyme action. Pack to within a half inch of the top of the container, add brine solution or water, and process. After opening cook for another 20 minutes.

Where possible, the department advises freezing vegetables because the long pro-

cess necessary for the safe preservation of bottled vegetables destroys almost all the food value.