Abstract
IT is probable that few people realise the attention to detail which is necessary when articles of food have to travel long distances and yet reach the consumer in a condition which compares favourably with the appearance and character of the same food in the fresh state. Quite apart from the use of food preservatives, the storage of food at ordinary or low temperatures requires attention to a number of factors if success is to be obtained: to the investigation of these factors the Food Investigation Board has devoted a considerable amount of work, as revealed in its report for the year 1923.* The report commences with a short account of an expedition to Australia, which was sent out to investigate the cause of a disease of apples known as “brown heart,” occurring during the transport of the fruit from that continent to Great Britain. Following a short section on the theory of freezing, come the reports of the six committees set up by the Board to deal with various aspects of the problems of food storage in relation to different types of food. The investigations have been carried on at various places, especially at the Low Temperature Research Station and the Biochemical Laboratory at Cambridge, at the Horticultural Research Station of the University of Bristol at Long Ashton, and in London, Manchester, and St. Andrews. About half of the report is occupied with an account of the investigations of the Fruit and Vegetables Committee, and this section can be conveniently considered together with the results obtained by the Australian Expedition.
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References
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Report of the Food Investigation Board for the year 1923. Pp. iv+77+4 plates + 14 charts. (London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1924.) 3s. net.
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The Preservation of Food. Nature 115, 621 (1925). https://doi.org/10.1038/115621a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/115621a0