[Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health, Warrington County Borough.

  • Warrington (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1938
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health, Warrington County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    79/134 (page 77)
    OTHER DAIRY PRODUCE. FRESH CREAM. Six samples described as fresh cream were analysed in 1938. One of these samples, No. 85, had been pasteurised or otherwise subjected to heat treatment, and, therefore, was not sold under a correct description. The distinction between fresh cream and heat-treated cream has been referred to in previous reports, and is regarded as of some importance, not only because of the inferior flavour of the heated article but also because the latter is nearly always of much lower fat content. The sample in question contained 27.6 per cent, of fat, whereas the remaining samples, which were all correctly described as fresh cream, contained from 48.3 to 53.6 per cent, of fat. CHEESE. Two samples of cheese were analysed in 1938. Both samples had been made from full-cream milk and were satisfactory in all respects. BUTTER. Thirty-one samples of Butter were analysed during the year. The samples were of satisfactory quality, free from admixture with foreign fat or preservatives, and none contained water in excess of 16 per cent., which is the maximum permitted by the Food and Drugs Act, 1928, Section 11. OTHER VARIETIES OF FOOD. SAUSAGES. During the year, twelve samples of sausages were analysed, and five were reported against because they contained sulphur dioxide preservative without disclosure of its presence having been made at the time of sale. The Public Health, (Preservatives in Food) Regulations permit the use of sulphur dioxide preservative in sausages to the extent of 450 parts per million, but its presence must be declared to the purchaser at the time of sale. Of the twelve samples examined, six did not contain preservative, one had a label declaring the presence of sulphur dioxide and five contained preservative but were not accompanied by a label having the necessary declaration. The amount of sulphur dioxide in the preserved samples ranged from 180 to 250 parts per million. It is interesting to compare the composition of the samples. The main ingredients of sausage are meat, cereal “filler,” species, salt and flavouring principles. It is usual to include a proportion of water in order to facilitate the operation of filling the material into the skins, but, judging from the analysis of the samples, the quantity of water found to be necessary by different manu¬ facturers is very variable. The following is the approximate composition of the samples received, as determined by analysis :— No. of sample. Composition :— 1 2 3 4 5 6 58 59 60 62 64 66 AVI eat. 63 63 48 59 53 56 69 67 74 69 63 58 Bread “filler” . 31 23 50 24 28 38 21 8 11 20 21 29 Added water . SHREDDED SUET. 6 14 2 17 19 * Including fat. 6 10 25 15 11 16 13 Early in 1938, three samples of shredded suet were received for analysis, the samples having been taken in connection with other samples reported upon adversely in the latter part of 1937. Mention of these samples was made in the Report for 1937, and it will be unnecessary to make any further comments upon them here. FISH AND CRUSTACEANS. Ten samples of sardines and brislings, two samples of prawns and two samples of shrimps were analysed in 1938. Sardines are sometimes con¬ taminated with lead from the vessels in which they are cooked before canning,