oil & soap, february, 1938 ranciditv eventually developed, but in resistance to rancidity coming arrival 17 or 18 hours earlier. And long before that, the tallowy odor from heat and age. The first off- these were just as bad as the first and taste had made the crackers odor from lard in light was that of box, where they had been perfectly inedible. As we watched the test, true rancidity. Then in an effort sweet and fresh the night before. the first indication that something to improve the resistance of oleo Exposure to what daylight those was wrong was the lack of any oil to light, we tried a 50-50 mix- crackers would receive from 3 or good cracker odor at all, then came ture of oleo and lard, and our re- 4 o'clock in the afternoon until 8:30 an off-taste even before the odor sults were about the average keep- the next morning had given them could be detected, then an off-odor ing time of the two, perhaps slight- a disagreeable, strong off-odor. It or tallowiness strengthening until ly less. should be added that the ink of the true rancidity developed. We did Now as to the protection afford- cardboard in the new box was found a little work on cookies also, al- ed by different colored cellophane to be rancid, and this flavor had though the bulk of our work was bags; as might be expected, the carried through into the crackers, carried out on crackers. The amaz- clearer bags permitted tallowy odors thus causing the complaint of the ing thing to us about our work to develop considerably earlier than biscuit manufacturer when the on cookies was that the sugar in did the amber shades. Where the crackers were sent to us. the cookies apparently gave no pro- type of shortening used was very So, from our work on the effect tection against tallowiness as it does susceptible to light, however, dark- of light, which has only been start- against rancidity. er colors seemed to help but slightly. ed, we have so far drawn only the As before mentioned, our test The effect of light was found two conclusions--first, to pick care- was only a practical one, but from to be most rapid. For example, fully the type of shortening to be it we felt able to draw two conclu- late one afternoon we received two used in baked products that wilt sions that we thought would assist boxes of crackers from a biscuit be exposed to light, and second, if the cooky and cracker manufac- plant, Both were made with the a cellophane bag is to be used, the turer in his packaging problems. same oleo oil, packed from the same amber shades give greater protec- The first conclusion is that if he run. One was packed in the usual tion than the colorless. is going to display his products in type of cardboard box, the other The biscuit and cracker baker unprotected glass showcases, or in in a new cardboard box that the uses fats for other purposes thal~ cellophane bags, he would do well baker had just purchased. The as shortenings; fats for coatings to choose types of shortening most crackers in the new type box were and for sandwich work. These are resistant to light. We tested all- decidedly tallowy, and the manu- usually cocoanut oils, such as the hydrogenated cottonseed oils, hy- facturer was interested in knowing spray for the type of cracker which drogenated soybean oil compounds, whether this was caused by inferior you may recognize as the "Ritz'" oleo oils (both No. 1 and No. 2), cardboard, whether the box was cracker. For sandwich fillings a lard, and a mixture of lard and causing the off-odor in the crack- plastic cocoanut butter is used, and oleo oil. A good all-hydrogenated ers. To make a test on the Card- for imitation chocolate coated cook- cottonseed oil we have found to be board, the lid was torn from each ies, or for white or colored hard the most resistant to rancidity. This box and the cardboard put in the butter coatings, a hard cocoanut but- also held true for light. The hydro- cabinet at 145 ~ F. Of course that ter is employed. Some difficulty is genated soybean oil compounds, allowed each box of crackers to experienced with these fats becom- which are fairly resistant to heat, stand unprotected where they had ing soapy, but if so, the introduc- we found very susceptible to light. been placed, on the west end of a tion of moisture is usually the They were probably the worst of all laboratory table, exposed to the cause, and it is brought into the types examined in both odor and afternoon sunlight. The next morn- coating by some other ingredient. flavor. Good oleo oils, which we ing on coming into the laboratory ordinarily find will resist heat for Some bakers may base their as long as 16 to 25 days, were very the new type box was picked up choice on mixing and creaming- poor in resistance to light, running and the crackers smelled to see if properties, on shortening value, on as low as 1 to 5 days. Here, too, the off-odor had dissipated, as this plasticity, or on texture of the fat, the odor is strong and disagree- sometimes occurs. No, it was but we believe the characteristic of able. Lard, much to our surprise, just as bad as ever. Then the old most interest to the manufacturer failed to develop tallowiness at all type box of crackers was smelled, of biscuits and crackers is that of in light, although it is quite poor the one that had been all right upon keeping property. A Y Correction for "Some Notes on the Determination of Glycerol in Fats" Published in the January Issue of "Oil and Soap" Page 14, Column 1, Line 12- cottonseed oil by immersing in an It is a pleasure to acknowledge the The fat containing the stearic acid oil bath at 160-150 ~ C. for one and valuable contributions and sugges- is heated to 110-120 ~ C. for tallow three minutes, respectively. tions made to this paper by Mr. E. and coconut oil and to 140-150 ~ C. Addition-- A. Currier of the Hammond organ- for hydrogenated cottonseed oil and Acknowledgment-- ization. 44 .