AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY AGROTECHNY. US 



No. 2, pp. 67-76). — This deals with the methods for ripe, unripe, artificial, and 

 suKJii" honey. 



Contribution to our knowledge of foreign honeys, J. Fiehe and P. Steg- 

 MULLER (Arb. K. Gsndhtmmt., U {1913), No. 1, pp. 78-149).— This work is 

 prefaced by abstracts of reports of consuls in regard, to the sale of honey in 

 Austria-Hungary, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United States, Mexico, 

 Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Jamaica, and Australia. Cuba, the United 

 States, Mexico, and Chile supply the greatest amount of honey to Germany. 



The purpose of the investigation was to compare the variations which occur 

 among the various constituents of foreign honeys with German honeys. The 

 number of honeys examined was 112, and the tests made were organoleptic, as 

 well as chemical and physical. All of the methods are described in detail and 

 some are criticized. 



The moisture determinations of 111 samples of foreign honeys with few 

 exceptions compared well with the German product, varying between 14.94 and 

 24.28 per cent, with an average of 18.3 per cent. The Invert sugar content 

 varied between 61.96 and 78.84 per cent, with an average of 73.48 per cent. 

 The honeys, with 3 exceptions, gave a levorotation. The saccharose content 

 fluctuated between 0.12 and 15.4 per cent, with an average of 2.42 per 

 cent. In 4 cases it exceeded 10 per cent, and these, according to the figures 

 prescribed, were considered immature honeys. The sugar-free dry substance 

 (all nonsugars inclusive of dextrin), for which the German standard is 

 1.5 per cent, varied between 1.75 and 13.42 per cent, with an average 

 of 5.84 per cent. The acidity, expressed as formic acid, varied between 0.027 

 and 0.204 per cent, the requirement being 0.2 per cent. The protein precipita- 

 tion, obtained by Lund's method, varied, between 0.37 and 4.35 cc, with an 

 average of 1.13 cc, although according to Lund this should be between 0.6 and 

 2.7 cc, with an average of 1.1 cc Ley's reaction for detecting the presence of 

 artificial invert sugar gave faulty results in 18 out of 88 cases, while Fiehe's 

 method gave good results. The ash content varied between 0.027 and 0.673 per 

 cent, with an average of 0.15 per cent. The highest ash content was noted with 

 coniferous honeys, and the lowest with rosemary and thyme honeys. The 

 standards call for from 0.18 to 0.8 per cent. Phosphates (determined after 

 ashing) were present to the extent of from 0.0075 to 0.0932 per cent (calcu- 

 lated as P2O6), with an average of 0.0198 per cent. Calculated to 100 parts of 

 ash the figures varied between 5.7 and 35.5 per cent. 



Alkalinity of the ash, when titrated against azolitmin paper, was lower than 

 when methyl orange is used as the indicator. This criterion is deemed valu- 

 able, since many sugars used for adulterating honey give a very low alkalinity 

 figure. 



Proposed method for detecting adulteration of cider vinegar with dis- 

 tilled vinegar, S. L. Crawford {Jour. Indus, and Engln. Cliem., 5 {1913), No. 

 10, pp. 845-847). — The principle of the method rests on the fact that cider 

 vinegar contains an appreciable amount of a volatile substance which reduces 

 Fehling's solution. Distilled vinegar, when diluted to 4 per cent acid, contains 

 only traces of this substance. 



" The proposed method is to take 50 cc. of sample, dilute to 250 cc, and distill 

 over 200 cc. into a 250 cc. flask. Neutralize and make up to the mark. Take 

 50 cc. of this distillate and determine sugars by the method given in Bureau of 

 Chemistry Bulletin 107. The result is given as Invert sugar according to Mun- 

 son and Walker's tables." 



Analyses of authentic distilled and cider vinegars are included. 



