920 FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



harmful. These opinions are from Kornauth's article cited above. The 

 observations of Portele agree more closely with the results of the inves- 

 tigations of this laboratory. 



A recent journal 1 reports the following as tne composition of an imi- 

 tation coffee seized by the Government of Roumania: Coffee grounds 

 (spent coffee), chicory, and pease. The mixture had been molded in a 

 special machine in imitation of coffee beans. 



A factory for the manufacture of imitation coffee was recently seized 

 at Lille, France, by the French Government. 2 The capacity of this fac- 

 tory was 40 to 50 kilos of imitation coffee per day. The composition of 

 the product, as shown by the testimony at the trial of the manufactur- 

 ers, was as follows: chicory, 15 kilos; flour, 35 kilos, and sulphate of 

 iron, 500 grams. 



L. Jammes 3 examined a sample of imitation coffee and found it to be 

 composed of acorns and cereals. 



DETECTION OF IMITATION COFFEES. 



Roasted imitation coffees may usually be very easily detected. As a 

 rule, genuine roasted coffee will float on water, and the artificial prod- 

 uct, roasted, will sink; there are, however, exceptions to this. Coffee 

 that has been "overroasted" will sometimes sink in water. The arti- 

 ficial coffees examined in connection with this report, with one excep- 

 tion, sank in water. These remarks apply to whole coffee. Kornauth 4 

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

 hol. Certain coffees will also sink in alcohol of this density; hence 

 this alone is not a sure test. 



In examining roasted coffee for the imitation product a portion of the 

 sample should be thrown on 40 per cent (by volume) alcohol, and those 

 beans which sink should be subjected to a further examination. The 

 genuine coffee bean always has a portion of the fine membrane with 

 which it was originally invested still adhering in the cleft. This test 

 alone will distinguish the genuine from the imitation coffee beans. On 

 the examination of a section of an imitation coffee bean it may l>e seen 

 that the structure is uniform, while that of the genuine bean is not. 

 The imitation coffee generally contains starch, a substance which is 

 never present in the genuine beans. If starch is absent the sample 

 should be examined microscopically for chicory or similar roots. 



In the examination of aground sample tests should be made for starch 

 and chicory. A portion should be thrown on cold water. Chicory, if 

 present, will quickly color the water, while- cereals will sink, often 

 imparting little, if any, color to the water. It should be noted that 

 coffee, deprived of its oil, will sink in water ami that cereals or chicory 



1 Rcvnc Intern. <!> F:ils. I' Ann6e, N. 11, iss. 

 'Revnn Inlcrn. <Ics Fills., I' 1 Aimrfe, No. 11, 1S5. 

 sClM-iii. (Vntralbl., 185)1, 1, 0:tr>. 

 Kev. Internal. Scieu. et Pop. des Fiilsifiratimis. 3, 195. 



