People v. Jennings

94 N.W. 216, 132 Mich. 662, 1903 Mich. LEXIS 892
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedApril 7, 1903
DocketDocket No. 207
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 94 N.W. 216 (People v. Jennings) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Jennings, 94 N.W. 216, 132 Mich. 662, 1903 Mich. LEXIS 892 (Mich. 1903).

Opinion

Montgomery, J.

This is a prosecution under the pure food law, so called. The respondent was convicted under an information charging him with selling a compound as [664]*664a lemon extract which was adulterated, within the meaning of Act No. 193, Pub. Acts 1895, as amended, and was a compound in imitation of extract of lemon. The respondent was convicted, and brings the case up on exceptions before sentence.

The evidence introduced on the trial by the respondent tended to show that lemon oil contains from 3 to 10 per cent, of citral, so called, and upwards of 90 per cent, of so called terpenes; that these terpenes represent the oil properties ; that they are in reality the oil itself, freed from the citral; that citral is the principal flavoring and odor-bearing property of lemon oil; that the tendency of the terpenes in the oil of lemon is to deteriorate or become rancid by long standing, and that because of this the extract or spirits of lemon in which terpenes appear, in the usual quantities becomes turpentiney, both in smell and taste, and that for this reason it is undesirable to have terpenes present; that the terpenes have a biting taste, easily developing a turpentine taste, not the true flavor of the lemon fruit. There was also testimony tending to show that this fact created a demand for terpeneless oils, and that terpeneless lemon oils had been manufactured and sold commercially for a considerable time.

On the part of the prosecution, the testimony of the chemist of the pure food department was to the effect that, taking as a standard of extract of lemon the spirits of lemon as defined by the United States Pharmacopoeia formula, the extract produced by the respondent showed no lemon oil present. It further appears that spirits of lemon made according to the pharmacopoeia formula would contain from 35-100 to 35-100 of 1 per cent, of citral. It also appeared that 30 per cent, of alcohol appeared in the product made by respondent, and that, according to the pharmacopoeia formula, 80 per cent, was used, and that it cost less to make the extract using but 30 per cent, of alcohol than if 80 per cent, was used. It was also shown that a trace of coal-tar dye was found in the extract made by respondent, but it was conceded that [665]*665there was nothing whatever injurious in the extract as prepared by Mr. Jennings. The extract sold by respondent was made by what is known as the “shaking-out process;” the purpose being to make an extract that contains no oil and as little alcohol as possible, — a product that contains simply the flavoring properties of the lemon oil, without the terpenes. This system has been employed by Mr. Jennings and by other manufacturers for the past three years, and it is claimed that all the elements and properties of lemon oil remained, except the terpenes; and the testimony tended to show that the complete flavoring qualities are extracted by this process.

The circuit judge charged the jury as follows:

“ In 1895 the legislature of this State thought it wise to pass a law relative to the adulteration of food and food products. Perhaps there may have 'been some amendments since that time, but that was the foundation of the law. That law covers lemon extract, as it covers all other products that are sold on the market. It seems at the time that the law was passed and since that time there hasn’t been— There isn’t incorporated within that law any specific formula for the manufacture of lemon extract. Now, we can hardly say, gentlemen of the jury, that, at the time of the passage of that law, the legislature didn’t have some recognized and defined standard by which these essences or extracts should be governed or controlled. I think it would be hardly fair to the legislature to claim that there wasn’t a standard they had in their mind at that time, and, for the purposes of this case, I will instruct you, gentlemen, that at that time, and at this time, this standard that appears here in the United States Pharmacopoeia is the standard recognized by the legislators of this State, and the one to which — the one that is in force, so far as it applies to the pure food law of this State, with reference to that particular product. And if this lemon extract here is manufactured in conflict with that formula, as I shall hereafter call your attention to it, and you should so find from the evidence, why, it would be your duty to convict the defendant here.
“ By that formula it appears that it is necessary to have 5 per cent, of lemon oil in the lemon extract, and that lemon oil should be cut by a sufficient quantity of alcohol to perform that act. Of course, you know that that means, [666]*666in common parlance, it should dissolve the oil. - In addition to that, as the evidence tends to show in this case, after those things are put together, the fluid, whatever it might be, would be nearly the color of water. As coloring, there may be or should be 5 per cent, of lemon rind; and those ingredients, when added together, would be lemon extract; and that, gentlemen, will be the standard as applied to the pure food law of. this State.
“Now, gentlemen, I don’t mean by that statement that lemon extract cannot be manufactured by any other process except by that to which I have called your attention ; I don’t mean that. It is the claim of the defendant here that he has discovered a process by which he can manufacture lemon extract containing all of the qualities that lemon extract manufactured according to that formula would possess, and not have entirely all of the ingredients in the first instance that are provided in the formula. And as I view this case, gentlemen, that is one of the important propositions in connection with this case, — that and the question of coloring, in the judgment of the court, is the case, — and that all of the testimony in the case here revolves itself about those two propositions.
“ It is the claim of the defendant, as I say, he has discovered a process by which he can produce in this lemon extract all of the qualities that would be produced by adding alcohol and lemon oil together, and that, manufacturing it by that means, he produces it chemically by taking a larger quantity of lemon oil and extracting certain parts' of it. Now, gentlemen, if you find and are satisfied by the evidence in this case that, after this lemon extract was manufactured as defendant here claims he did manufacture it, it possesses all the qualities in strength and otherwise that it would possess if manufactured according to this formula, he is not guilty under this law; that is, he is not guilty of manufacturing an impure article, unless there are certain other articles that enter into the case, to which I call your attention. As I say, in the first instance, it is claimed that, according to the formula, it should be alcohol and 5 per cent, of lemon oil. Now, if he, by some other process, can manufacture from the lemon oil and alcohol a product that would contain all of the elements that these two elements would contain if so mixed, he would not be guilty so far, and that would be lemon extract, except the color of it.
“ It is conceded here by all parties in interest, I think, [667]*667that the only object of the lemon peel is to produce coloring. But there is another element to which the prosecuting attorney has called our attention. The evidence tends to show, gentlemen, that, if this product is produced as claimed here on the part of the defendant, after production by his process, the product would be nearly water white.

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Related

People v. Mister Pood, Inc.
184 N.W.2d 540 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1970)
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97 N.W. 758 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1904)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 N.W. 216, 132 Mich. 662, 1903 Mich. LEXIS 892, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-jennings-mich-1903.