Kansas Academij of Science. 157 



THE COMPOSITION OF COMMERCIAL FRUIT 

 EXTRACTS. 



Walter S. Long. 



ACCORDING to federal and state standards, a flavoring 

 extract is a solution, in ethyl alcohol of proper strength, 

 of the sapid and odorous principles derived from an aromatic 

 plant, or parts of the plant, with or without its coloring matter, 

 and without added coloring matter, and conforms in name to 

 the plant used in its preparation. 



There are on the Kansas market a large number of products 

 which are represented and labeled as fruit extracts. There are, 

 for example, extracts of strawberry, pineapple, blackberry, 

 raspberry, cherry and banana. Some work has been done at 

 the food laboratory of the State Board of Health at Lawrence 

 with the view of securing data which would serve as an aid in 

 determining the genuineness of such products. 



The commercial products themselves were first subjected to 

 analysis. These were found to be weak alcoholic solutions, 

 leaving on evaporation a sirupy residue, which on burning left 

 an ash. Analysis of the ash showed it to have the character- 

 istics of the ash of fruits. On treating the original extract with 

 subacetate of lead a heavy precipitate formed, showing the 

 presence of solids other than sugars in solution. 



On the basis of the information thus gained, alcoholic ex- 

 tracts of various fruits were made in the laboratory. The 

 process consisted in macerating the whole fruit, finely ground, 

 for a week or more with strong alcohol, then pressing out 

 through cheese cloth and finally filtering through paper. These 

 clear extracts were then analyzed. A comparison of the data 

 thus obtained with that from the commercial products showed 

 a very close agreement, as shown in the tables at the close of 

 this paper. 



To determine in what respects, if any, an alcoholic extract of 

 a fruit differs from the fruit juice itself, analysis was made 

 of an extract of the fruit in whose preparation water was used 

 instead of alcohol. The results showed no appreciable differ- 

 ence except in the alcoholic content. 



To show the effect of glycerine and sugar together with 

 alcohol as extractive agents, extracts of this nature were pre- 



