110 EXPERIMENT STATION KECORD. 



The distillation of butter fat, coconut oil, and their fatty acids, K. S. 

 Caldwell and W, H. Hurtley {Cheni. Neios, 99 (1909), No. 2573, p. lU)-— 

 The authors are of the opinion that fats and fatty acids have no boiling-points 

 in the vacuum of the cnthode light, but that for any particular substance a 

 temperature can be selected at which evaporation occurs at a speed convenient 

 for fractioual distillation. 



"Butter fat, coconut oil, and their fatty acids were distilled iu the vacuum of 

 the cathode light. The lowest fraction obtained from butter fat distilled with 

 the bath temperature at 250 to 270° and inner thermometer at 187 to 210°. Tri- 

 butyrin distills rapidly with the bath temperature at 127° and inner ther- 

 mometer at 107°. For this and other reasons, it is concluded that butter does 

 not contain tributyrin. The iodin numbers yielded by the various fractions 

 seem to indicate that there is little or no triolein in butter fat. Laurie acid 

 forms at least 60 per cent of the fatty acids in coconut oil, whilst it could not 

 be detected in butter ; this method of distillation enabled the authors to detect 

 with ease the presence of 10 per cent of coconut oil iu butter. The presence 

 of palmitic acid in coconut oil has been questioned by Ulzer, but the authors 

 isolated several grams of this acid from coconut oil." 



Metallic salts of the volatile fatty acids of butter fat and coconut oil, 

 C. Paal and C. Ambeeger (Ztschr. Untersuch. Nahr. u. Genussmtl., 11 {1909), 

 No. 1, pp. 1-22; alts, in Jour Soc. Chem. Indus., 28 (1909), No. 3, p. 157; Ztschr. 

 Angew. Chem., 22 (1909), No. 8, p. 355; Analyst, 3Jt (1909), No. 396, pp. 99- 

 101). — The volatile fatty acids of butter fat and coconut fat showed ^reat 

 differences when precipitated with salts of zinc, cadmium, silver, barium, and 

 other metals. 



Detection of coconut oil in butter, C. Paal and C. Ambeeger (Ztschr. 

 Untersuch. Nahr. u. Genussmtl., 17 (1909), No. 1, pp. 23-51, fig. 1; abs. in 

 Jour. Soc. Chem. Indus., 28 (1909), No. 3, pp. 156, 157; Ztschr. Angew. Chem., 

 22 (1909), No. 8, p. 35J,; Analyst, 3-) (1909), No. 396, pp. 99-101).— The method 

 described is based on the principle noted above. A specially constructed flask 

 is used to avoid irregularities which commonly occur during distillation, and a 

 device in the neck of the tube prevents particles of fat or water from being 

 mechanically carried over. 



" So far the following limits have held good : Butter may be regarded as 

 adulterated with coconut oil, (1) when the cadmium value exceeds 100 and 

 the Juckenack-Pasternack difference lies within the limits of -f4.25 and — 3.5; 

 (2) when the cadmium A-alue exceeds 110, while the saponification value does not 

 exceed 235 or the Juckenack-Pasternack differeuce exceed — S ; (3) when with a 

 saponification value not exceeding 235, but with a Juckenack-Pasternack difCer- 

 ence of more than — S, the cadmium value exceeds 120; (4) when the cadmium 

 value exceeds 130 and the sajiouiflcation value 235; (5) butter with a Reichert- 

 Meissl value of 28.0 and over need not, for practical purposes, be taken into 

 consideration." 



Determination of the Maumene value of oils and fats, JNI. Toetelli (Chem. 

 Ztg., 33 (1909), Nos. 15, pp. 125, 126, ftgs. 2; 16, pp. 13',, 135; 20, pp. 171, 172; 21, 

 pp. 18-'i, 185; abs. in Jour. Soc. Chem. Indus., 28 (1909), No. 5, p. 250). — The 

 author shows the relationship between the iodin and Maumene value when an 

 oil is treated directly with sulphuric acid in a vacuum-jacketed tube. The 

 method is recommended as a means of detecting foreign fats in butter as the 

 ratios between the two values decrease with the iodin value. With 4 samples 

 of butter the ratio varied from 1.03 to 1.00. with margarin from 1.33 to 1.49, 

 and with coconut oil from 0.31 to 0.34. 



Halphen's test for cotton-seed oil, H. Wagner and J. Cxement (Ztschr. 

 Untersuch. Nahr. u. Genussmtl., 16 (1908), No. 3, pp. l-'f5-160, fig. 1; abs. in 



