ANALYSING FOODS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1927, Page 11

ANALYSING FOODS

DEPARTMENT'S WBK

KEEPING UP THE STANDARD

With' the creation of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Besearch, the Dominion Laboratory was transferred from the control of the Department of Internal Affairs to that of the New Department. The Laboratory already had a good record of achievement in investigational problems dealing with foods, notably milk, with various aspects of coal, with clay, with the kaurigum industry, and with many minor matters affecting the work of Government Departments. In linking up with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research it is anticipated that greater facilities will be afforded for research, and more time increasingly devoted to investigational work of an industrial character.

The annual" report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, referring to the Laboratory's work during the year, says:—"The work during the year has consisted almost entirely of chemical analyses and examinations carried out on behalf of the Government. The number of samples received from various departments was as follow:—Customs, 496; Justice (Police), 34; Main. Highways Board, 105; Mines, 467 (Geological Survey 76, Head Office and Inspection Staff 95, Prospectors 296); Post and Telegraph, 161; Public Health, 4048; Public Works, 35; Eaxlways, 21; other Departments, 48; public bodies 26; miscellaneous 30----total, 5471. ' '

"Foodstuffs in great variety, and other samples having some direct bearing on health matters were submitted by the Department of Health. The list comprises: Air from workrooms, apples and apple juice, bacon, barley beer, biscuit and biscuit-filling, brandy brawn, bread bronchial lotion, Burton salts, butter, celery, Cellu-flour, chocolate liquours, cheese* coffee, cordials, cream, cream and custard .powder, dislccated coconut, egg mixture, essences of lemon and -vanilla;,. Fiji remedy, food flavouring, fermetene presevertive, germolets, gin ,ginger and hops beers, iodine tincture, iodised salt, lard, lemon cheese, lemon squash, lime junee lime water, malt extract, margarine, Marmite, methylated spirit, mineral water tablets, Moogrol, Oysto-paste. pears, rubber fabrics, rum, sausage and sausage meat, soap, sugar, tomato sauce, turpentine, trout, vinegar, washing powder, whisky, whole meal, yeast tablets.

The bread examined included brown bread, and special diabetic bread, some of which was decidedly high in starch content. Four of the butter samples exceeded the standard for water. : _ "Only three lime waters were examined, but two of these did not comply with the B.P. standard. In view of 'the widespread use of lime water, •especially for infants, a much larger number of samples should be &ken. "Beer samples were taken in various parts of New Zealand, and of "great variety of brands.- The limit for salt in beer has been fixed at 50 grains per gallon, which would seem ample, but one-fourth of the number, examined contained more than this. With spirituous liquors such as whisky, brandy, etc., there is an occasional tendency to dilute overmuch with water','but the more usual offence is the substitution of cheap liquor for well-known case brands. Several' convictions for this were obtained during the-year.-"Following on disquieting reports received from Great Britain of dangerous amounts of arsenic in "imported apples attributed to the u,io of arsenical sprays a- special examination was. made of sprayed fruit from: orchards in'several parts of New Zealand. • A-safe limit for arsenic Was considered to be 1-100 grain per pound of fruit. Only' when patches of dried spray were visible, or when the fruit had been sprayed immediately before picking was this limit exceeded, while if the fruit were peeled and the skin discarded the arsenic found was less than 1-1000 grain per pound.