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My opinion on this case is that in all probability during this
"new" process, or at the time of tinning, some living germ or,
perhaps more likely, spore, obtained entrance to the tins; that it
lay there dormant under ordinary circumstances of cool storage, but
that when the tin was stored in a warm place for such a period as
six weeks the living germ commenced to set up fermentation, whish
under the favourable conditions of the absence of preservative
brought about such a state of things as I and others saw in the
seven tins of peas which were seized.
Subsequently to the trial I had several tins of this consignment
(some of the identical tins, in fact, which were submitted to the
learned Magistrate in Court as sound) opened and examined both
chemically and bacteriologically. The two following reports set out
the findings:—
(i) Chemical Report.
J. KEAR COLWELL, F.I.C., F.C.S., Public Analyst for Finsbury, Holborn,
etc., reports as follows :
I have examined the can of "early June peas" marked A, handed to
me on the nth June, and beg to report as follows :—
On opening the can nothing markedly offensive was noticed in the
smell, which had the peculiar character usually associated with canned
peas. The contents were apparently normal, the liquid in which the peas
were preserved not having gelatinised, and there was no evolution of
bubbles of gas. The liquid was distinctly acid in re-action, its neutralisation
being effected by about three times the amount of alkali required for a
similar quantity of the liquid from ordinary canned peas. The quantity of
deci-normal soda required for neutralisation was as follows—
Tarantelle (coppered canned peas) 10 c.c. per iooc.c.ofliquor.
Early June (cold storage) 28 c.c. „
„ (afterone week's incubation at blood heat) 33 c.c. „
These figures appear to indicate that some process of fermentation
has been set up during the seven days incubation at a higher temperature.
No preservatives or copper were detected An estimation of the sugar and
albuminous substances in the liquid and peas gave the following results.