IMITATION COFFEE BEANS. 



919 



been published in the journals, from which those given in the following- 

 table have been taken: 



' Imitation coffee beans. 



1 From a tabulation by C.Kornauth, Eev. Internat. Scient. et Pop. des. Falsifications des LKJrivees 

 Aliment., 3,195-196. 



2 Zeit. f. angew. cbem., 1889, 310-311 ; Chein. centralbl., 1889, 154. 



3 Original article, Zeit. f. Nahrungsmitteluntersuch. u. Hygiene, 3, 221-222 ; Chem. Centralbl., 1890, 135. 



Kornauth (loc. tit.) states that he has analyzed artificial coffee beans 

 which were very similar to the genuine, having a specific gravity of 

 1.26. Specific-gravity determinations of the samples examined in con- 

 nection with this report gave the following numbers: Serial No. 8491, 

 1.195; No. 8933, 1.073; No. 8859, 1.198; No. 8883, 1.111; No. 8951, 1.119; 

 No. 8952, 1.183; No. 8953, 1.194; No. 8955, 1.211; No. 895G, 1.174 (light- 

 colored grains) and 1.131 (dark-colored grains), and No. 8957, 1.118. In 

 making these determinations a solution of sodium chloride was employed. 

 Twenty imitation coffee beans were immersed in this solution, the dens- 

 ity of which "was then gradually changed until ten beans floated near 

 the surface and ten at the bottom of the solution. The specific gravity 

 of the modified solution was then taken and recorded as the specific 

 gravity of the imitation coffee. 



These specific gravities are only an approximation, owing to varia- 

 tions in the density of artificial coffees even from the same sample. 



Kornauth, in the article cited, states that he supposes the imitation 

 coffee to be composed of grape sugar and dextrin, which are mixed with 

 fat and sugar and the mass pressed in forms, roasted, and glazed. He 

 states that imitation coffee beans sink in 40 per cent (by volume) alco- 

 hol, while the genuine beans float. 



Stutzer and Keitnair suppose that the imitation coffee beans are com- 

 posed of roasted sugar; Konig, of wheat bran; Frike, of sugar and 

 lupine flour; Hanausek, of wheat bran and the refuse from white pep- 

 pers; Pavlicek, of sugared bran, and Portele supposes them to be com- 

 posed of sugar, cereals, and legumes. Fricke considers lupine seeds 



