834 Experiments 



Experiment CCCCLXII. July 5. Apricots and cherries in flasks. 



A, in open air; 



B, at 8 superoxygenated atmospheres. 

 July 9. A, covered with mold. 



B, without mold; the apricots have a strange pungent odor. 



Experiment CCCCLXIII. July 15. Apples, pears, grapes, in separate 

 bottles, closed by sealed stoppers which are pierced by holes. 



A, in the open air. 



B, at 10 atmospheres of air. 

 July 29. Decompression. 



A, the apples and pears are spoiling; liquid is issuing from them; 

 the grapes are putrefying; all of the grapes have fallen from the stalk, 

 which is left hanging; mold; closed with wax. 



B, apples and pears have become brown, and seem cooked; grapes 

 well preserved; no mold; closed with wax. 



October 4. A: fruits completely decayed; 



B, apples and pears softened, taste like cooked fruits; grapes with 

 mold, but the fruit still clings to the stalk. 



Experiment CCCCLXIV. September 23. Reine-daude plums, ripe, 

 very wholesome: 



A: normal pressure; 



B: 15 superoxygenated atmospheres. 



September 29. A: intact; normal taste; 



B: also intact in appearance; taste of cooked plums. 



Fruits then are perfectly preserved, as far as form is concerned, 

 in oxygen at high tension; they are protected from mold. The 

 cherries in Experiment CCCCLVIII, kept unchanged in appearance 

 for 3 years, after return to normal pressure, give a striking ex- 

 ample of that. But their color changes, their taste especially, which 

 is more or less like cooked or brandied fruit. This research should 

 be continued from the chemical point of view, especially consider- 

 ing the production of alcohol noted in Experiment CCCCLXI. The 

 relation of these data to those noted by MM. Bellamy, Lechartier, 

 and Pasteur should be investigated. 



Subchapter II 

 DIASTATIC FERMENTATIONS 



I now come to the study of the effect (if there is one) of oxygen 

 at high tension upon the ferments which are soluble in water and 

 precipitated by alcohol, which are called diastatic ferments, 

 zymotic, or false ferments, etc. 



