IMITATION COFFEES. 



915 



1 The fruit of the wax palm ( Gorypha, cerifera L., or Gopernicia ceri 

 fera, Mart.), which yields camauba wax, is used in Brazil for the prep- 

 aration of a coffee substitute, for which purpose it is roasted in the 

 usual way. Chemical investigation of samples of this fruit procured 

 from Brazil, by Konig, gave: 



Iii the raw state the fruits have a stony consistency. Starch could 

 not be detected and, if present, was in very slight quantity. The sub. 

 stance presented in the table as starch was obtained by treating the 

 mass, after extraction with water, Avith diastase, then heating three 

 hours in a Soxhlet pressure steam oven. The mixture was then fil- 

 tered, the filtrate inverted with HC1 and precipitated with Fehling's 

 solution. The fat from the fruit has apparently a different constitu- 

 tion from the wax from leaves (carnauba wax). 



Only a slight amount of water soluble substances are found in the 

 roasted fruit, as is the case* with acorns. 



IMITATION COFFEES. 



Within two or three years the coffee markets have been flooded with 

 imitation coffees. The first official action toward suppressing this fraud 

 in this country was probably that of the New Jersey officers. It is 

 claimed that these fraudulent coffees are no longer to be found in the 

 markets of that State. Reports from dealers in various parts of the 

 country indicate that the sale of imitation coffees has been very general. 

 On the the following page is a list of the imitation coffees examined in 

 connection with this report, together with a description and statement 

 of their probable composition. 



1 . 1. Konig, Central-Organ, f. Waarenkunde und Technologie, 1891, 2, 1; Chern- 

 Ztg., 15, 19, Aug., 1891. 



20393 No. 13 4 



