VINEGAR 1077 



admitted at the top, is allowed slowly to filter through them ; after passing through, 

 it is pumped up again to the top, and this process is repeated until the acetification is 

 complete. Sometimes wood-shavings, straw, or spent tan, are substituted for the 

 grapes refuse, but the latter is generally preferred. 



By this process, not only is the oxidation of the alcohol completed, but coagulable 

 nitrogenous and mucilaginous matter is separated, and thus the vinegar rendered 

 bright. It is finally pumped into store vats, where it is kept until put into casks for 

 sale. 



3. SUGAR, CIDER, FRUIT, AND BEET VINEGARS. An excellent vinegar may be made 

 for domestic purposes by adding, to a syrup consisting of one pound and a quarter of 

 sugar for every gallon of water, a quarter of a pint of good yeast. The liquor being 

 maintained at a heat of from 75 to 80 Fahr., acetification will proceed so well that 

 in 2 or 3 days it may be racked off from the sediment into the ripening cask, where 

 it is to be mixed with 1 oz. of cream of tartar and 1 oz. of crushed raisins. When 

 completely freed from the sweet taste, it should be drawn off clear into bottles, and 

 closely corked up. The juices of currants, gooseberries, and many other indigenous 

 fruits, may be acetified either alone or in combination with syrup. Vinegar made by 

 the above process from sugar should have fully the Revenue strength. It will keep 

 much better than malt vinegar, on account of the absence of gluten, and at the 

 present low price of sugar will not cost more, when fined upon beech-chips, than Is. 

 per gallon. 



The sugar-solution may likewise be replaced by honey, cider, or any other alcoholic 

 or saccharine liquid. An endless number of prescriptions exist, of which the following 

 example may suffice : 100 parts of water to 13 of brandy, 4 of honey, and 1 

 of tartar. 



Messrs. Neale and Duyck, of London, patented a process, in 1841, for the manu- 

 facture of vinegar from beet-root. 



The saccharine juice is pressed out of the beet, previously rasped to a pulp, then 

 mixed with water and boiled; this solution is fermented with yeast, and finally 

 acetified in the usual way, the process being accelerated by blowing air up through 

 the liquid, which is placed in a cylindrical vessel with fine holes at the bottom. 



In some factories large quantities of sour ale and beer are converted into vinegar; 

 but it is usually of an inferior quantity, in consequence of being liable to further 

 fermentation. 



Dr. Stenhouse has shown that when sea-weed is subjected to fermentation, at a 

 temperature of 96 Fahr., in the presence of lime, acetate of lime is formed, from which 

 acetic acid may be liberated by the processes described under the head of PYKOLIGNEOUS 

 ACID. Although such large quantities of sea-weed are found on all our coasts, it does 

 not yet appear that it has hitherto been utilised in this way, although it would 

 still be, to a certain extent, valuable as manure after having been subjected to this 

 process. 



4. THE GERMAN OR QUICK-VINEGAR PROCESS. (Schnellcs&igbcreitung, Ger.) In 

 the manufacture of vinegar it is highly important that as free a supply of air should 

 be admitted to the liquid as possible, since if the oxidation take place but slowly, 

 a considerable loss may be sustained from much of the alcohol, instead of being 

 completely oxidised to acetic acid, being only converted into aldehyde, which, on 

 account of its volatility passes off in the state of vapour. This is secured in the' 

 German process by greatly enlarging the surface exposed to the air ; which, however, 

 not only diminishes or prevents the formation of aldehyde, but also greatly curtails 

 the time necessary for the whole process. In fact, when this method was first intro- 

 duced, from the supply of air being insufficient, very great loss was sustained from 

 this cause, which was, however, easily remedied by increasing the number of air-holes 

 in the apparatus. 



This quick-vinegar process consists in passing the fermented liquor (whicli generally 

 contains about 50 gallons of brandy of 60 per cent., and 37 gallons of beer or malt- 

 wort, with ijjooth f ferment), two or three times through an apparatus called the 

 Vinegar Generator (Essigbildcr). 



This apparatus consists of an oaken tub (Jtg. 2088), narrower at the bottom than at the 

 top, furnished with a loose lid A, with a funnel, through which the liquids for charging 

 the graduator are supplied ; below this is a perforated shelf, B, having a number of small 

 holes, loosely filled with packthread, about six inches long, and prevented from falling 

 through by a knot at the upper end. Through this lid there likewise pass some glass 

 tubes, open at both ends, c, which, having their apertures above and below the shelf, 

 act as air-vents. At a distance of about eighteen inches from the bottom is placed 

 another perforated diaphragm, at D ; and two inches above this the tub is perforated 

 with eight or ton equidistant holes, E E, an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, 

 which serve to admit atmospheric air. The space- F, between the diaphragm and the 



