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black growth of mould of the Rhizopus species and this loaf also had probably
been cut warm and kept too long before sale.
The spots on a sponge sandwich were due to penicillium mould and moulds
were present on a Cornish pasty, while a meat pie had a high bacteriological
count and was unfit for consumption. Other complaints due to mould
growth included three cheeses all of which had no doubt been packed under
unhygienic conditions. Some sausages also showed a fairly heavy mould
growth on the outside due to their being old stock. The contents of
sachets containing flavoured drinks were cloudy due to the presence of
mould.
Nine complaints were received regarding dirty milk bottles. Foreign objects
found ranged from numerous pieces of glass from another bottle in
one, a piece of matchstick which had probably gained access to the
bottle after it had been through the washing machine and might not have
been present in the milk when bottled, and a piece of wire which was
embedded in the glass of a bottle, which although unsightly should have
been spotted by the examiner at the glass works but could do no harm to
the milk.
Mould mycelium was found in the botton of four milk bottles due to the
washing process not being sufficiently violent and in two other cases
general dirt and vegetable matter dried on the inside of the bottle was
found in one and sand and cement in the other.
A milk thought to be sour due to the addition of acid was actually rancid
and badly out of date when sold.
Frozen sirlion steaks and a cooked ham showed high bacteriological counts due
to insufficient hygienic precautions being exercised in the factory concerned,
and although cured and dried sausages, such as salamis, contain
a fair number of bacteria the bacterial counts, 4,000,000 per gram on a
sample of salami, 10,000,000 on a Mortadella sausage and 1,500,000 on a
Cervelat sausage were too high.
Various samples of meat pate, paste and liver sausage were found to have
rather high bacteriological counts and, although there were no pathogenic
organisms present, the products should have been kept frozen. A dressed
crab possessed an objectionable odour, due to a small opening in the seam
where bacteria had probably entered during the cooling of the can, and
was unfit for consumption. A can of corned beef was found to be rancid.
Several cans of salmon were found not to have been properly sterilised
but probably in most instances the micro-organisms present would be
harmless and would not be noticed by the average consumer.
Unfortunately carelessness exists in many bakeries with the result that
bread is often contaminated with foreign substances. Three cases of gear
oil, one of tin from scrapings of a baking tin, one of verdigris, a piece
of string, and a portion of a rubber band were all found in breads submitted
as complaints, as well as two of brown dough in white loaves were
received.
The purchaser of a bread pudding complained of its quality in view of
lumps of bread in it and it was not a very satisfactory product.
Discolouration on the lid of a pie filling was caused by faulty lacquering
of the tin plate.
The complaint about foreign matter in some sugar, was found to be coffee
B.32