A discussion of the microscopic appearance of ketchup in terms which can
be readily understood by manufacturers is not an easy task, as it
necessarily involves technical knowledge. The subject has become one of
importance, owing to the attitude of many food officials in enforcing a
microscopic standard for this product, and on the part of many brokers
in requiring a guarantee to comply with this standard in making
purchases. Many manufacturers have either assumed or found it necessary
to have their finished products examined. Some employ “experts” to make
the examinations in their own plants, while the majority send their
samples to commercial laboratories. The total tax upon the industry for
such work amounts to thousands of dollars annually. The result of the
work as a whole has been beneficial, as any effort is which attracts
attention to details. It has likewise been the means of causing much
unpleasantness and not infrequently loss, because of lack of
understanding on the part of both manufacturer and examiner as to the
cause of certain findings. The manufacturers have proceeded in the usual
way without sufficient knowledge of what the resultant product will be
unless there is careful supervision of material and methods, while too
frequently the examiner is neither experienced in technique of the
examination nor in the effects of the different steps in manufacture
upon the product. Furthermore, much distrust in microscopic finding is
evinced when a half dozen or more samples from the same batch, sent to
as many persons, result in as many different reports. It naturally
causes a lack of confidence in both paid examiners and in food
officials, though those who make these examinations may be absolutely
honest in their findings. In order to clarify some of the points, it has
become necessary to go into detail, into both the method of examination
and into the effect produced by manufacture.
A scientific method of food examination is necessary for food officials
in order to determine the condition of a product, but is not necessary
for the manufacturer, though it may be advantageous. The latter is in a
position to know what enters his factory and what changes take place in
the food until it reaches the sealed package. He should have no fear of
a method which correlates the findings in the finished product with that
of the material used and the changes due to treatment.
Undue importance may seemingly be given to the subject of ketchup, but
the principle involved applies as well to other products.
The fundamental basis for the microscopic examination of any food
product must depend upon the structure of the material which enters into
its composition. Any attempt to determine an abnormal condition, such as
decomposition, without a knowledge of the normal, must necessarily be of
little value. There is some work which can be done in a mechanical
manner by almost anyone capable of looking through a microscope, and if
the work is properly supervised, it may have a value, but the lines
along which this can be done are very limited. Any attempt to apply such
superficial methods to the general examination of food products can not
properly protect the public and may be unfair to the producer. It has,
therefore, been deemed advisable to incorporate a brief statement
concerning the structure of the tomato before discussing the resultant
products.