DYED ORANGES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18409, 16 June 1925, Page 4

DYED ORANGES.

MADE TO LOOK RIPE.. Birmingham's public analyst, Mr J. F. Liversccge, has discovered a new food "dope," says the "Daily MailJiHo has found that a solution of chrysoidine. is how being used on oranges to give them a ripe-appearance. Chrysoidino is described as "a colouring base intermediate in composition between aniline yellow and phenylenc brown. The chrysoidinc of commerce is the hydrochloride, a salt of , a splendid orange" "yellow-colour." Mr Liversecge told a "Daily Mail" representative that his, discovery -was made more or less accidentally. It was noticed that oranges on hawkers' barrows, when it was impossible to procure ripe fruit ,in the market, had a very rich and attractive look. He analysed some of these oranges, and found that the peel was dyed very superficially, without affecting ths orange itself.

"The amount of dye was small," he said. "One of the hawkers was making a little trade of it by dyeing for the other hawkers. As far *as I can see, there is no way of stopping this practice under the Foods and Drugs Act. The dye does not adulterate the orange, and is not injurious to health. After all, there is colouring in other articles of .diet, such as butter, margarine, and cheese, and, until recently, milk was coloured, but that has boon stopped nationally. About three weeks ago a man was lined £lO in Birmingham for colouring milk, but there has not been much of that done in London."