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This shipment had been made from 30% de-bittered almonds and 70% sweet almonds, and in
order to form an opinion as to the probable limit of naturally present benzoic acid arrangements
were made for a quantity of the actual almonds used to be sent by air from the manufacturers in
Copenhagen. The almonds were divided into three parts, one of which was forwarded to the
importer, one sent to the Public Analyst, and the third retained in this office.
The Public Analyst certified the almonds as genuine blanched almonds, and a small quantity
of marzipan was made in the laboratory by a process similar to that normally used in this country.
The report upon the laboratory-made marzipan showed a trace of benzoic acid not exceeding
10 parts per million.
In support of the manufacturers contention that no preservative had been added to their
product, a Statutory Statement to that effect signed before the British Vice-Consul in Copenhagen
was furnished, and in the absence of proof that benzoic acid had been added the 46 cases were
released with the advice that the benzoic acid content demonstrated in this marzipan appeared to
be muc-h in excess of that found by experiment to be expected and that the techniques of manufacture
should be considered before further shipments were exported to this country.
In the absence of reliable information as to the possible limits of naturally-occurring benzoic
acid in marzipan made from a proportion of bitter almonds, although an indication was given
by the laboratory experiment using de-bittered almonds, and the difficulty of proving that benzoic
acid in excess of that amount had been deliverately added, the view expressed in the Food
Standards Committee's Report on Preservatives in Food that the offence should be the sale of a
food containing a non-permitted preservative irrespective of the reason for which it is present,
is welcomed.
DESICCATED COCONUT
It had become evident early in the year from the bacteriological reports already received on
samples of desiccated coconut received from Ceylon submitted during December, 1959 that extensive
Salmonella contamination was to be expected in shipments of this commodity, the contamination
rate for December 1959 being 11.6% of the samples examined.
All shipments were automatically detained initially for 5% bacteriological examination and
positive reports entailed a further 10% examination. Positive reports upon the 10% examination
resulted in condemnation of the entire shipment.
In the early part of the year there were approximately 75 mills in actual production of
desiccated coconut in Ceylon, many of which were primitive in construction and operation and in
which scant regard was paid to hygiene. With few exceptions the output of all mills was bulked
at Colombo and bagged for export.
In the absence of any batch or mill indentification marks, it was inevitable that condemnations
involved the whole shipment, and from the experience gained in earlier dealings with
importations of other items of food on a similar scale, it was considered that a proper system of
marking should be instituted in Ceylon without delay in order that some indication of the source
or sources of contamination might be given and condemnations confined to the output of particular
mills or batches rather than shipments. It was, however, not until late in the year that identifying
marks to some extent came into use.
The importers of this product energetically met the challenge to the trade by direct repre0sentations
to the Ceylon Authorities and one wellknown firm instituted a very useful on-the-spot
survey of the conditions under which the mills were operating, contacting and urging action by
government departments, addressing meetings of millers and disseminating advice on the reorganisation
of the industry on sound principles of hygiene.
The Ceylon Authorities were alive to the problem facing them and the urgency of the position
was being stressed by the Ministry of Health.
Experiments were being carried out in this country in an endeavour to evolve a process of
sterilization practical of application to bulk imports or factory processing techniques which
would remove any possible hazard and in which the possibility of cross infection would be
obviated.
Short and long time heat treatment, supersonic vibration, irradiation with gamma rays,
steam treatment with ethylene oxide, and subjection to ultra violet ray were used experimentally,
but owing to the nature of the commodity heat is limited in its successful application to toasting
and to some extent steaming. Treatment with ethylene oxide was entirely successful experimentally
but its use is prohibited by the Preservatives in Food Regulations.
The heat treatment applied by many of the manufacturing processes in which desiccated
coconut is normally used would appear to be sufficient for destruction of the contaminating
organism, but there remains the risk of salmonella cross-contamination of the plant, equipment,
and finished product.
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