THE WEIGHT OF BREAD

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1921, Page 3

THE WEIGHT OF BREAD

* j TESTS BY CHEMISTS. IT . j In view of several recent prosecutions under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act I for having sold under-weight bread, of . the statement attributed to the Prime | .Minister that 66 loaves (41b) can he 0 f baked from a sack of flour, and of the approaching fixation of tile price of bread, bakers in Christchurch have had exhaustive tests made by two chemists of repute. The objects of the tests were: (I) To ascertain the number of p () 41b loaves obtainable from a sack of e . flour, under regular baking conditions; , tt . and (2) to determine the weights of the loiTves made and to note the variations in weight between loaves of different shapes. ( jj The manner in which the tests were conducted was: Four sacks of floor from different- millers were made into a dough ; the dough was made into 252 loaves ( ll!>_) ;ii seven usual shapes, which were baked in two batches of 110 and 142 loaves, respectively, in different ovens. All the operations were con- . ducted in the way customary to the bakehouse. \\ lien baked all the bread "as weighed as it was drawn from the in ", . f oven, ;uul a portion set aside lor twelve hours and then re-weighed; also, the individual weights of a number of . loaves were taken direct from the oven I and again after tweive hours, each loaf ■ being marked with a number. The period of twelve hours was taken as the 1 time for which bread mijrlit lie exposed I for sale. During the twelve hours of | 1 the tests tlk* atmospheric temperature ! was mild, about 60 degrees F., and the humidity fairly high, a misty rain falling during part of the time. In these circumstances (states the report of one ■ of the chemist si il is reasonable to sup- j pose that the weight lost by the bread j was not unusually large, and certainly i Li less than would be lost in hot, dry | k weather. The test was continuously ■ observed, except when the dough was 1 sealed down in the fermenting trough. ’ The flour actually used in the test J weighed 776;Jih, equalling 3.95 sacks, 1 and the. total number of 41b loaves produced was 252 ; the average weight of 110 loaves, baked in one oven, on with- ! 1 drawal from oven was III) 2.240 z; of ’ 142 linked in another oven, 41b 1.970 z; the total weight of the 252 loaves (on * withdrawal from oven) was 10411 b, or ' an average of 411> 2.10/.. On being reweighed twelve hours later the average loss was 2.480 z; or, put otherwise:— lb.' oz. Average loaf from oven 4 2.) Less average loss 0 2.48 Average loaf in 12 hours ... 3 15.62 There were weighed separately 24 pieces equal to fourteen 41b loaves, first direct from the oven, and secondly 12 hours later. It was found that one loaf was under weight at the first weighing, lint after 12 hours 32 per cent were under weight ; in the case of some shapes of loaf it was found that all were under weight, while others re- a mained good weight at the end of 12 1 hours. The summary of the test is as a follows: T hi tin’s test 252 loaves were produced from 3.95 seeks of flour, equal to 63.8 loaves per sack. In this test all loaves being made from the same weight of dough, after twelve hours the average loal would he under weight ; actually 30 per cent were under weight. In this test loaves of certain shapes were full weight, and others of other I 1 shapes were underweight. From this test Barracoota, and Barraenuta tin loaves, require more than lib 10c'. of dough to hake a -lib loaf: or it is not possible to bake 63. S loaves of AA' these shapes from a sack of flour, but fu only 62.6 loaves. The report of the other chemist, which sets out in detail the weights) contains the following paragraphs : • It is concluded, therefore, that an -j.j ( allowance of 111) l()oz. of dough, giving a return of 63 loaves per sack of flour, is tlu* minimum quantity which "ill S allow an average margin ot safety. In the case of certain types of bread „ t barracoota and harraeouta-tin) the dough allowance (per 21b loaf) of 21b soz is insufficient, and that ironi 21b up s'oz to 21 b fioz is required. pj Messrs C. E. Boon and F. H. Hawker, of the Christchurch Master Bakers’ " Association, leave to-night for Welling- of ton to discuss with the Board ol Trade the price of bread.