Tallow (Fa. Sutf ; GER., cellular tissues of man and quadrupeds contain a concrete fat, the whole mass of tissue and fat being known as " suet." The term " tallow " is applied to this fat when it has been liberated from the tissue. Commercially, tallow is obtained almost solely from the ruminant animals, sheep and neat cattle, and is produced chiefly in the essentially pastoral portions of the globe. In many cases, the animals are (or were) reared more for the sake of their tallow than their flesb, and, in Australia, millions of them have been boiled down as they were killed, the boiled flesh being used for pig-feeding or manure. Recent improve ments in transporting meat will doubtless prevent the recurrence of such a wasteful process, though the tallow may retain its importance as a commercial product, and will be prepared at the places where the animals are killed for transportation iu cold chambers.
The "rendering" of tallow, or its separation from the cellular tissues in which it is confined, is performed on the large scale exactly the same as lard-rendering, described at length under the section on improved methods of extraction (see p. 1447). Occasionally mechanical power is employed to facilitate the operation, the suet being first passed through a specially constructed chopping-machine. The rendering is also greatly assisted by the addition of dilute sulphuric acid to the mass, say 1 per cent. of the acid and 20 per cent. of water on the quantity of tallow present ; but there is a great, and to some extent well-founded, commercial prejudice against tallow in which any chemicals have been used during its preparation. The melted tallow is strained to free it from membrane. The nature and qualities of tallow vary greatly. The constituents are stearine, oleine, and possibly margarine ; stearine predominates, but its proportion fluctuates with the species, age,' and sex of the animal, and the portion of its body which afforded the suet. Beef-tallow usually contains less stearine than does either mutton. or venison-, and mutton-tallow is always whiter than beef-tallow, but S. American beef-tallow presents the curious exception of containing more stearine than S. American mutton-tallow. The hardness and melting-point have an equal influence upon the value of the tallow, and exhibit the same want of constancy under similar changes of condition. The degree of solidity much depend; upon the food, increasing as the latter is drier. Pure tallow is white and almost tasteless, but that imported has a yellow tint. It is classed according to its suitability for candle- or soap-making, for which purposes it requires to be refined (see Candles, p. 579).
The term " beef "-tallow includes that of oxen, cows, and bulls ; the former is much softer than the two latter. After melting, it commences to solidify at 37° (98° F.), and its temperature then rises to 39° (102° F.); it dissolves in 40 parts alcohol of 0.82 sp. gr. Veal-tallow melts easily in the fingers, is very soft, and quickly becomes stale. "Mutton "-tallow comprises that of rams, ewes, bucks, and sbe-goats. On remaining some time exposed to the air, it acquires a peculiar odour. After melting, it commences to solidify sometimes at 37° (98° F.), when its temperature rises to 39° (102° F.); at other times, it solidifies at 40° (104° F.), and its temperature rises to 41° (106° F.). It dissolves in 44 parts boiling alcohol of sp. gr. Dr. Hager thus states the sp. gr. of tallows at 15°-16° (58°-60° F.) :—Beef, ; mutton, ; beef and mutton mixed in equal proportions, 0.936-0.938. "Town tallow," " kitchen stuff," or" pot-grease," is the waste fat produced in culinary operations, and is consumed by soap-makers. Tallow is largely adulterated with starch, china-clay, ground limestone, and sulphate of barium ; also with fats having a lower degree of hardness, especially "bone-fat" (see p. 1361). Mineral adulterants are easily discovered by simple solution of the mass ; starch is detected by the iodine test ; and inferior fats lower the appearance and consistence of the sample, and thus indicate their own presence.
In commerce, tallow occupies a very important place. Russia exports immense quantities,
chiefly from the ports of Cronstadt, Odessa, and Taganrog. A dozen years ago, Russia's annual production was reckoned at 160,000 tons, half of whioli was consumed locally. The home con sumption has since much increased. Thus the exports were 3,249,802 poods (of 36 lb.) in 1866; they gradually fell to 411,585 poods in 1875, recovered to 1,110,729 ponds iu 1877, and dropped back to 619,301 poods in 1878. Russian tallow is nearly all beef, and comes chiefly from Siberia and the Ukraine. It is transported in casks of 300-400 kilo. The commercial quotation of " P.Y.C. tallow" is a fiction, and does not regulate the market-price of tallow ; it is a mere speculative medium, thousands of casks being bought and sold that have no existence whatever. Russian tallow has lost much of its hold on the market, and now forms but a small item in the total consumption in this country, notably in the case of the soap- and stearine-makers, for whose purposes it is less suited than for " dips." The States of S. America afford very large quantities of tallow from the carcases of animals slaughtered principally for the sake of this product and their skins, bones, and horns. It is generally known as " River Plate" tallow, and is mostly shipped from the Rio' de la Plata. It has a strong-yellow colour, but is of good quality ; it first arrived in Berens of bide, but now comes in old wine-casks—pipes and half-pipes. The United States ship con siderable quantities of tallow to Europe, chiefly from New York and New Orleans, in barrels of various sizes. The total exports were 85,506,000 lb. in 1878, and 99,964,000 lb. in 1879; in 1869, they were only 20,535,000 lb. ; in 1874, 101.756,000 lb. The shipments from New York were 70,807,600 lb. in 1878, and 67,016,100 lh. in 1879. Of the shipments in 1878, 31,775,300 lb. went to Great Britain, 18,474,500 lb. to France, 16,687,100 lb. to N. Europe, 2,288,000 lb. to other Europe, and 1,582,700 lb. to S. America, E. and W. Indies, &o. Philadelphia exported 9,201,599 lb. in 1879. Excellent tallow is obtained from Algeria and Morocco, and chiefly consumed in the soap works of Marseilles. The Chinese port of Kiungchow shipped 924 piculs (of 1331 lb.), value 18501., in 1877 ; 190G piculs, 4007/., in 1878 ; and 2688 piculs, 62251., in 1879. The exports and re-exports from Hankow in 1878 were 2776 piculs ; the exports thence in 1879 were 564/ piculs, value 1114/. Pakhoi, in 1879, exported 324/. worth. Shangliae, in 1879, imported 3011 piculs of foreign tallow from foreign countries, and 1423i from Hong Kong and Chinese ports, none being re-exported ; and of native tallow, the imports from Chinese ports were 815g piculs, and from Hong Kong 433/, all being re-exported to Chinese ports. Newchwang exported 415 piculs in 1877, but none is recorded since. The annual exports (chiefly re-exports) of tallow from Holland amount to 41-71- million kilo.; in 1879, they were 6,829,000 kilo. The Belgian exports (chiefly re-exports) fluctuate between 17 and 26 million kilo. yearly, and were 25,871,000 kilo. in 1879. The shipments of tallow from New South Wales have fallen from 190,575 cwt., value 311,3391., in 1871, to 61,326 cwt., 98,018/., in 1878 ; they were 100,390 cwt., 164,561/., in 1877. In the case of Victoria, they have fallen from 13,582 tons, 469,0691., in 1871, to 3298 tons, 103,879/., in 1878. From New Zealand, they have increased from 828 cwt., 1661/., in 1867, to 100,380 cwt., 178,502/., in 1878. From Queensland, they fell from 124,180 cwt., 139,181/., in 1871, to 19,194 cwt., 50,899/., in 1873, and were 43,164 cwt., 73,0061„ in 1877. The exports of tallow from Honolulu in 1879 were 239,941 lb., to Germany. The value of the tallow shipped from the Falkland Islands to Great Britain was 4874/. in 1878, and 5940/. in 1879. The exports of tallow from India fell from 3540 cwt. iu 1878, to 870 in 1879. The E. Indian tallow is very strong in stearine, but of bad colour. A similar tallow comes from Turkey ; Japan also sends a good quality. The tallow production of the United Kingdom has been estimated at 100,000-120,000 tons yearly.