Resolved, That the executive committee of the National Food Trades Conference does hereby order stricken from the records of the conference the resolution proposed at the Second Annual Meeting of the National Food Trades Conference urging against the repeal of the so-called Federal mixed-flour law, on the ground that such a resolution is out of order and not a proper subject for action by the conference, being a special subject, as the conference is limited in its authority to adopt resolutions under its code of rules and regulations solely to the consideration of the broad phases of and general principles underlying the need for and value of uniformity of our food laws, and that this action is taken without any expression of opinion as to the merits of this proposed resolution. Mr. RAINEY. We will now hear from Mr. Howard. STATEMENT OF MR. BURTON J. HOWARD, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. HELVERING. State for the benefit of the members of the committee what your occupation is and by whom you are employed. Mr. HOWARD. I am microscopist in charge of the microchemical laboratory of the Bureau of Chemistry of the Agricultural Department, and in that position, although not always in that name, I have been engaged in that work for 14 years doing microscopic work on various substances that are submitted to us, both food and drugs and other miscellaneous materials. Mr. HELVERING. Now, Mr. Howard, in order that I may give you an idea, there has been a great deal of discussion here as to whether or not a label on a sack of flour would designate the amount of starch in a sack of flour, and whether or not that amount could be determined with certainty, and whether or not it could be determined with mixed flours so you could answer questions as to the amount of cornstarch contained in flour. Mr. HOWARD. We made a very few experiments along that line. Most of the work of that particular character has been, I believe, done under the Office of Internal Revenue, and the question of estimation of percentages has not been an important line of our work under our food law. We have had questions and samples that have been submitted from time to time where the question of identity of the starch was involved, and a few cases where the amount of starch present or starchy material was also involved, although not very many cases where the question of the amount of starch in flour as such has been involved, although we have made some experiments along that line. Mr. HELVERING. In the experiments you have made, I would like to ask if, in your opinion, a sack of flour submitted to you was labeled 20 per cent cornstarch, if you could tell with certainty by examination whether or not that contained 20 per cent of cornstarch? Mr. LIND. Twenty per cent cornstarch and 80 per cent flour? Mr. HOWARD. We could tell if there was cornstarch present. We could tell that there was wheat starch present. The actual amounts that were present would be liable to vary in the estimation, I should judge, from 12 to 15 per cent as a minimum up to possibly 30 per cent for a maximum. I have had analysts that have been doing the work that even got broader results than those, but I think with experience they could bring the amounts down to that amount. The method we have used in determining that is by comparing under the microscope samples of known mixtures with the unknown mixtures in question. I have pictures here of some of the various kinds of starches, if the committee would like to see them. Mr. HELVERING. Have you a picture there of pure wheat starch and an admixture of wheat starch and cornstarch? Mr. HOWARD. I have. Mr. HELVERING. I would like you to submit to the commitee the picture of the pure wheat starch and the cornstarch and wheat starch mixed. Mr. HOWARD. There is the picture of the wheat starch, which is pure [indicating]. This one is a mixture of a wheat starch to which 40 per cent of cornstarch has been added. Mr. FORDNEY. Forty per cent you say added to this one [indicating]? Mr. HOWARD. Yes; 40 per cent of cornstarch as such. In the one containing the 40 per cent of cornstarch you will see certain of the angular grains which are characteristic of the cornstarch; but there are many other grains which are present which undoubtedly came from corn which are so nearly like those of the wheat that an absolute identification is impossible. Mr. HELVERING. Have you recently experimented in an endeavor to fix the amount of cornstarch in a mixture of wheat flour and cornstarch? Mr. HOWARD. We have made some experiments of late in that regard, although, as I have said, it is a problem that has not been called to our attention very heavily in connection with our other work, and we have not gone as far in it as should be gone. Mr. HELVERING. Have you made any such investigation within the last week? Mr. HOWARD. Yes; we have. Mr. HELVERING. State to the committee, if you will, please, the result of those investigations? Mr. HOWARD. In general, the results obtained showed a variation from the true amount of starch present up to 20 per cent of the amount. For instance, I remember one where the analyst had a mixture of wheat flour and cornstarch; there was 30 per cent of cornstarch present and he reported 50 per cent. However, I think in this connection it should be explained that these tests were made quickly and should be gone into still further. But I think that was an abnormal variation from what would be gotten under careful work, under expert work. But I would consider that on 20 per cent a variation of 5 to 10 per cent, as I stated before, would be an allowable limit for normal work. Mr. FORDNEY. Will the gentleman pardon me? Mr. HOWARD. Certainly. Mr. FORDNEY. If a sample of mixed flour was submitted to you for chemical test to determine the percentage of corn flour mixed with it, and it actually were 20 per cent corn flour and 80 per cent wheat flour, before you could tell the percentage of cornstarch in that package or the value of the gluten in it you would have to know whether that wheat flour was ground from the wheat that produced 8 per cent gluten or 14 per cent gluten, would you not? Mr. HOWARD. You could not estimate the amount of corn present from the amount of gluten present, if I understand correctly. I am not a chemist and you have access to chemists that can tell you more definitely. Mr. FORDNEY. I thought you were a chemist. Mr. HOWARD. No; I am a microscopist; that is my field. Mr. FORDNEY. You understand that well enough to say whether that could be done? Mr. HOWARD. That is my understanding from conversation with chemists in regard to it, that it would depend upon the gluten content of the flour with which the corn was mixed. Mr. HELVERING. Mr. Howard, is there any process by which I, if I were in a position to do so, could take cornstarch and, say, heat it to 400° F., and, by submitting it to a jet of steam, destroy the angular portions or the angular appearance of the cornstarch? Mr. HOWARD. I think that there might be a certain amount of change wrought in the starch grains, but it would depend upon the moisture that was added as to how much they would be changed. You take the starch that has been submitted to a dry heat of approximately what you stated there, and I should expect to get more or less a dextrinization, and in a dry condition unaffected by moisture the starch grains would have very much the same appearance that they have in the normal starch; but if there is added to it a quantity of water then the starch grains swell up and lose their characteristic form. Now, just what would happen with certain jets of steam I can not say because I have not carried out those experiments. Mr. HELVERING. Suppose that steam carried enough water to dextrinize this substance so you could make cakes out of it and then grind it, then what? Mr. HOWARD. If it added sufficient water to make a dough of it or make it into solution, then you could dry it and get a cake and that might be dried down to such a degree it would grind and make a meal or flour out of it, and that examined in a dry condition would show angular fragments when mixed with flour, but there I think you would also get a chemical difference. Mr. RAINEY. Are there any questions? Hr. HELVERING. I would like to have these two photographs that I called attention to incorporated in the record. Mr. LONGWORTH. I will read a telegram I received and ask you what comment you have to make on it? As a large consumer of flour I know the repeal of the mixed-flour law will be of great harm to the biscuit makers. I strongly protest against the passage of any measure which aims to repress or modify it in any way, in the interest of an above-board policy and one that does not compel a chemical analysis to determine the fairness of one's purchase. I would like you to make any comment you see fit about the truth of that proposition, or whether it is true or not. Mr. HOWARD. As to the legal side or desirability of the repeal of the law I am not in a position to speak because I have not seen the law or the bill. An opinion in regard to that could undoubtedly be obtained, on request, from the Secretary of Agriculture. It would be preferable to refer it to the people who are in a position to answer that better than I am. |