In recent years, still another method of preserving food has been used. This consists in the addition of something which will at least lessen the growth of germs, if not en- tirely prevent it. The difficulty is to find substances which will do this and yet have no harmful effect upon the people who eat the food. Among the substances commonly used for this purpose are borax, benzoic and salicylic acids, and formalin. These are all known to be harmful if taken in large amounts, but they are believed to have com- paratively little effect in small quantities. But because, if FOOD PRESERVATIVES 29 they are allowed at all, it is difficult to be sure that they will be in sufficiently small amounts, and because repeated doses possibly may cause trouble, or small doses from a number of foods combine to make a large dose, and because some people (such as young children and invalids) are more susceptible to them than others, the national pure food law has forbidden the ordinary use of them, unless the kind and amount of any such added substance is plainly printed on the bottle or can in which the food is sold. There are, however, some food substances which, them- selves, have something of the preserving effect. Mixing foods with sufficient sugar protects them well from bacteria or mold growth, but not quite so well against yeasts. Raisins, dates, and figs all have so much sugar in them that it is not necessary to add any more to insure their keeping well, when they are partially dried. Salt, too, has preserv- ative action, and salting fish is a usual device for keeping it. Other foods, like corned beef, are kept immersed in brine, — that is, in salt and water. Salted butter, too, keeps better than fresh, and perhaps that is why so little fresh butter is used in this country. Salty foods are un- doubtedly not so digestible as fresh, and the use of such foods for invalids and young children is questionable. Vinegar, sometimes reinforced by spices, is another food preservative, but pickled foods will not keep indefinitely. Many of the common spices also have some preservative power. Mince meat, if kept cool, will remain in good condition for a long period. Fruit-cake, which is highly spiced, keeps well. Sausage is another food which is spiced in order to prevent spoiling. But pickled or spiced food, like that preserved in salt, is probably far less digest- ible than in the original form, and the too frequent use of it is to be avoided. 30 FOOD STUDY REFERENCES U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 375. "Care of Food in the Home." Farmers' Bulletin No. 459. "House Flies." Farmers' Bulletin No. 353. "The Ice-Box." CONN. "Bacteria, Yeasts, and Molds in the Home", sections on Yeasts and Bacteria. Cornell Reading Course for the Farm Home . ' ' Preservation of Food in the Home ", especially pages 281-286 inclusive. QUESTIONS 1. Under what circumstances is it wise for a housewife to put up much fruit ? 2. Why is drying a means of preserving fruits and vegetables ? 3. What preservative is sometimes added to commercial catsup? 4. How must an ice-box be taken care of ? 5. What foods should never be placed in an ice-box? 6. What kinds of foods is it unnecessary to keep in a cool place, and why ? 7. Why should butter and milk be covered when in the refrigerator, and if possible kept in a compartment by themselves ?

AI-modernized reading of the original text

In recent years, still another method of preserving food has been used. This consists in the addition of something which will at least lessen the growth of germs, if not entirely prevent it. The difficulty is to find substances which will do this and yet have no harmful effect upon the people who eat the food. Among the substances commonly used for this purpose are borax, benzoic and salicylic acids, and formalin. These are all known to be harmful if taken in large amounts, but they are believed to have comparatively little effect in small quantities. But because, if FOOD PRESERVATIVES 29 they are allowed at all, it is difficult to be sure that they will be in sufficiently small amounts, and because repeated doses possibly may cause trouble, or small doses from a number of foods combine to make a large dose, and because some people (such as young children and invalids) are more susceptible to them than others, the national pure food law has forbidden the ordinary use of them, unless the kind and amount of any such added substance is plainly printed on the bottle or can in which the food is sold. There are, however, some food substances which, themselves, have something of the preserving effect. Mixing foods with sufficient sugar protects them well from bacteria or mold growth, but not quite so well against yeasts. Raisins, dates, and figs all have so much sugar in them that it is not necessary to add any more to insure their keeping well, when they are partially dried. Salt, too, has preservative action, and salting fish is a usual device for keeping it. Other foods, like corned beef, are kept immersed in brine, — that is, in salt and water. Salted butter, too, keeps better than fresh, and perhaps that is why so little fresh butter is used in this country. Salty foods are undoubtedly not so digestible as fresh, and the use of such foods for invalids and young children is questionable. Vinegar, sometimes reinforced by spices, is another food preservative, but pickled foods will not keep indefinitely. Many of the common spices also have some preservative power. Mince meat, if kept cool, will remain in good condition for a long period. Fruit-cake, which is highly spiced, keeps well. Sausage is another food which is spiced in order to prevent spoiling. But pickled or spiced food, like that preserved in salt, is probably far less digestible than in the original form, and the too frequent use of it is to be avoided. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 375. "Care of Food in the Home." Farmers' Bulletin No. 459. "House Flies." Farmers' Bulletin No. 353. "The Ice-Box." CONN. "Bacteria, Yeasts, and Molds in the Home", sections on Yeasts and Bacteria. Cornell Reading Course for the Farm Home . ' ' Preservation of Food in the Home ", especially pages 281-286 inclusive. 1. Under what circumstances is it wise for a housewife to put up much fruit ? 2. Why is drying a means of preserving fruits and vegetables ? 3. What preservative is sometimes added to commercial catsup? 4. How must an ice-box be taken care of ? 5. What foods should never be placed in an ice-box? 6. What kinds of foods is it unnecessary to keep in a cool place, and why ? 7. Why should butter and milk be covered when in the refrigerator, and if possible kept in a compartment by themselves ?

Food study