712 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



Aufsatzteil, pp. 201-203). — Phytosterol is far more resistant to catalytic reduc- 

 tion tlian ctiolesterol. At 200° C. 75 per cent of the latter becomes resinified 

 while phytosterol is hardly affected at this temperature by the catalyst. Hydro- 

 genation at 250° of cholesterol no longer yields crystalline products, whex'eas 

 appreciable amounts can be obtained from phytosterol under the same condi- 

 tions. This explains why some of the transformation products of stearins in 

 lard oil are not detected by the examination of the fat. Cholesterol is evi- 

 dently transformed in a way that will not allow its detection by the digitonin 

 method. 



The detection of plant fats in animal fats, H. Spbinkmeyer and A. 

 DiEDBicHs {Ztschr. Vntersuch. Nalir. u. Genussmtl., 28 (1914), No. 5, pp. 236- 

 244)- — The Fritzsche procedure was so modified as to eliminate any possibility 

 of digitonin decomposition products interfering with the melting point deter- 

 mination. When this is not taken into consideration erroneous results may be 

 obtained in regard to the presence of phytosterol in animal fat. The modifi- 

 cation was tested on oleomargarin, butter, lard, " premier jus," cotton-seed oil, 

 sesame oil, coconut fat, oleomargarin with 2, 5, and 10 per cent cotton-seed oil, 

 and butter with 10 and 15 per cent coconut fat. The third crystallization 

 usually gave the desired results. Unsatisfactory results were obtained with the 

 method for the detection of 2 per cent cotton-seed oil in oleomargarin, and 10 

 per cent coconut fat in butter. 



The Klostermann method, a modification of the Marcusson and Schilling 

 method (see abstract above), is not deemed as simple nor as cheap to conduct 

 as the Fritzsche modification. A modification of the Klostermann method was 

 studied with lard, *' premier jus," oleomargarin, goat tallow, wild hog lard, 

 horse fat, wool fat, whale oil, cotton-seed oil, peanut oil, olive oil, soy-bean oil, 

 linseed oil, poppy-seed oil, corn-seed oil, tea oil, rape-seed oil, niger oil from 

 Ouizota oleifera, mustard oil, coconut fat, hydrogenated linseed oil, palm fat, 

 cacao butter, Chinese vegetable tallow, Enkabang (Borneo), mowrah butter, 

 shea butter, and mixtures of lard and cotton-seed oil, oleomargarin and cotton- 

 seed oil, wool fat and cotton-seed oil, wool fat and soy-bean oil, wool fat and 

 peanut oil, and oleomargarin and mowrah butter. By this work it was estab- 

 lished that cholesterol in animal fats is in the free state, whereas the phytosterol 

 present in plant fats seems to be an ester combination. The lowest melting 

 point was found with the esters of olive oil. The detection of the 2 per cent 

 cotton-seed oil in lard was easily accomplished by this method, but 10 per cent 

 could not be noted, nor could 10 to 15 per cent of peanut oil in wool fat. Ten 

 per cent of soy-bean oil was noted, however. Ten per cent of mowrah fat 

 could not be discovered in oleomargarin. It is concluded that the Klostermann 

 method can in some instances be used in place of the Fritzsche test. 



The estimation of carbohydrates. — IV, The presence of free pentoses in 

 plant extracts and the influence of other sugars on their estimation, W. A. 

 Davis and G. C. Sawyer (Jour. Agr. Sci. [England], 6 {1914), No. 4, PP- 406- 

 412). — Continuing previous work (E. S. R., 32, p. 314), the present paper brings 

 forth evidence that free pentoses are usually present in alcoholic extracts of 

 plants and have to be taken into consideration in the scheme of analysis. 

 " Their amount can be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy by the ordinary 

 distillation process or by the reducing power of the purified liquor after other 

 sugars have been fermented away. When, however, small amounts of pentose 

 have to be estimated accurately in presence of large quantities of other sugars, 

 it is advisable, as suggested by Kluyver," to ferment away these sugars before 

 applying Krober's process" (E. S. R., 13, p. 320). 



° Biochemische Suikerbepalingen. Leyden : E. J. Brill, 1914, pp. XI + 223. 



