26 



The Bulletin. 



RESULTS OF THE EXAMINATION OF 



COFFEE AND COFFEE SUBSTITUTES. 



Coffee is the seed of a small tree, coffea, whose fleshy fruit is about 

 the size of a small cherry, and contains two seeds joined on their flat 

 sides, which when freed from the pulp and the enveloping membrane 

 are the coffee beans of commerce. 



Roasted coffee is coffee which by the action of heat has become brown 

 and developed its characteristic aroma, and contains not less than 10 

 per cent of fat and 3 per cent of ash. 



The principal action or stimulating constituent of coffee is caffeine, 

 a white, bitter crystallizable substance. 



The principal material which is used to mix with and adulterate 

 coffee is chicory, though cereals and leguminous seeds, such as wheat, 

 rye, barley, beans, and peas are often used. Many brands of so-called 

 coffee on the market contain from 20 to 60 per cent of chicory. The 

 manufacturers of these products generally claim that the chicory is 

 added, not to adulterate, but to actually improve the quality and to give 

 strength to the coffee. This claim is misleading to the public. Roasted 

 chicory contains a large amount of caramel and starchy matter, that 

 impart to the product, when made into a liquid for use as a beverage, 

 a black, thick, soup-like appearance. The effect produced in coffee by 

 chicory can no more correctly be regarded as adding strength to the 



'Sample sent to the Department for analysis. 



