ARMY LIMEJUICE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16257, 6 July 1918, Page 4

ARMY LIMEJUICE.

USE OF PRESEII VATIVE3

LOCAL FIRM FINED

At tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr T. A. B. Bailcv, S.M., the Public Health Department (Mr S.. G. Raymond, K.C.) . charged Haywara Bros., Ltd,, of Cln'istchurch, that they "sold certain food, to wit, a barrel of

limejuice, to his Majesty the King containing a substance, to wit, salicylic acid, being a preservative substance, the addition of which is prohibited by Regulation 11 (a) mado under the ba.e of l''ood and Drugs Act, 19U3, and -published in the *'N.Z. Gazette (March 6th, 1913)." , , xl . Mr Cuningham appeared for the defendant company, which was represented by J. 11... Hay ward, a partner.. In opening the case Air Raymond slid that tho information was laid undei the Regulations of tho Sale of Uooci and Drugs Act. . The regulation contained a prohibition against the use of salicylic acid as a preservative. I tie defendants had supplied considerable quantities of limejuico to the Defence Department, and on January 21st 11 barrels were supplied. Samples or the contents were taken, and somo ol the casks were found to contain limejuico bolow the standard so far as j citric acid vras concerned. Hay ward: Bros, were notified, and as they said that they had no opportunity of confirming the analysis, further samples wcro taken, the analyses of these giv- j ing an almost identical result. JJivo of the "casks contained a smaller percentage than Btandard of citric acid, and the rest Contained salicylic acid, under test, though the percentage of citric acid was over the standard, "he defendants' own analyst had reported that a. traco of salicylic acid had been found in somo of tho samples.

John Henry Cowdfcry, inspector, Health Department, who took tho samples of liinejuico produced, stated that tho samples with preservative showed qui to clear, while tho other with no preservative had a cloudy growth. "To Mr Cuningham: The sample No. 743 contained more citric acid than 6 per cent.; it contained. 6.30 per cent, according to the analysis. W. Donovan, Government Analyst, said it was not tho practice to estimate the amount of salicylic acid in these cases, as the mere presence of it constituted an offence. In thi3 case he gob a good strong reaction. The presence of salicylic acid was dangerous in any foodstuff. It was a powerful drug, and its administration had to be mado with due care. Ho was not a medical man, and he merely quoted from authorities in making this statement. He know of no wines that contained salicylic acid, and oould not say if- limejuice was put in wine casks which contained traces of salicylic acid the limejuico would extract it from tho j wood. Ho would think it would not occur if the casks had been properly cleaned.

To Mr Cuningham: Salicylic acid was used as a preservative in certain sauces and foodstuffs. Ho could ndt say if limejuico could oxtract salicylic acid from a cask. It might be possible.; be would not say it was impossible. Vinegar might extract substances from wine casks. Mr Cuningham said his clients admitted that technically there bad been a breach of tho regulations, but his 'clients were both actually and morally blameless. It was not "nccessary to toll tho public of Christchurch that a firm like Hayward Bros, would not wilfully adulterate foodstuffs. The firm was one of the largest in the Dominion, and had a reputation "for straight and honourable dealing second to none. .When they had been first advised that salicylic acid had been found in the limejuice, it had been an absolute mystery .to defendants, and Mr Hayward had left no stone unturned to trace the -source of the trouble. Ho would put in j cvidenco to show tho absolute innocence! of Hayward Bros., who had been the victims of circumstances which were not under their control. The firm had been contractors to the Government, and'had already supplied ! 115 casks of limejuico, or 23U0 gallons. Eleven casks had been tested; six 9f these showed no traco at all of salicylic acid, tho balance did. Tho Department's samples sent to Hayward Bros., and analysed, showed the same tests as those made by the Government. _ Tho five casks in which traces of salicylic acid had been found were the ones that were over proof. The limejuico all came from the samo source, and was treated in the same manner, and this seemed to prove that the traces of preservative found must have come from the casks. Messrs Hayward Bros, had had the bulk Jamaica limejuice tested, and no traco of the preservative was found in it. Tho troublo evidently lay somewhere else, and as no preservative liad been put in the goods, tho only solution of the mystery which Mr Hayward could come to was that tho strong limejuice had extracted the salicylic acid from the casks. The cooper from whom he had obtained the casks told him that some were wine casks. Many people made home-made wine, and may have used salicylic acid as a preservative. Counsel described tho precautions taken to clean casks, and said it was well-known that vinegar would extract wine sediment from casks, which had been thoroughly cloaned, and tho theory was that the citric acid in the limejuico must have acted similarly. Salicylic acid was a well-known pre» servativo, allowed in certain foodstuffs, but not in limejuico.

J. R. Hayward said, when the matter was first reported to him by the Health Department,' the whole thing was a mystery. Tho firm had been refining and bottling limejuice for the past twenty-five yoars, and nothing of the sort had ever occurred boforo. Ho

pointed out that, prosuining the firm .L&d intended to ur-o saiicviio acid, tiie tests would havo snown tno substance hi all tno samples, which was not tho case. Further, it the firm had added tho acid ifc' would certainly not havo j been added to certain littlo lots, as that wouid havo been uneconomical and 'Unmotnodical. In "Tils experience witd vinegar, he had found tuat, in spite of taorough cleansing, vinegar could extract some ingredients from tho wood of certain wine casks, and for this reason tho farm refused to purchaso casks from certain sources. The only possible explanation ho could make was that the liuicjuice (citric acid) had the sa.mc properties as the vinegar in extracting certain substances from some casks. It was a mystery to him how thoro could be a variation in the strength of - the citric acid in the eleven casks. The average strength of the contents, however, Would bo over the standard of 6 per cent. This was the first time that any complaint had been made of the ]15 casks supplied to tho Government. To Mr Raymond: The firm used salicylic acid as a preservative in certain sauces. Tho samples taken by the Government were from the last consignment of eleven casks. Ho received the crude limejuico in 115 gallon casks from Jamaica, and it was clarified and broken down in tho factory. He believed that why the salicylic acid was in tho casks where the citric acid was over strength, was because the strong acid could extract tho "substance from the casks, whereas tho j lower strength Time.juice could not. Wm. Davy, manufacturer in Messrs Hayward's factory, explained how tho crude limejuice was dealt with on receipt from Jamaica. No preservative of the nature of salicylic acid had ever l>eon added to limejuico.

A conviction was entered, and n fine of £1 inflicted, with £8 3s 6d costs.