PURE CULTURE FERMENTS IN VINEGAR 307 



by Hermann Boerhave, and has attained its present condition (since 1823) mainly 

 through the instrumentality of Karl Schiizenbach. The French term it the 

 " German method," but in Germany it is generally known as the " quick vinegar 

 method " (Schndlessig-Fabrikation). A detailed description cannot be given here, 

 but the gist of the process consists in slowly running the " goods " (i.e. spirit 

 diluted with vinegar) to be turned into vinegar over shavings or strips of beech- 

 wood contained in a closed vat (the vinegar-generator), so that the liquid presents 

 a large surface to the air, which is admitted through special ventilating holes 

 below and makes its escape at the top. That the fermentative activity of micro- 

 organisms also comes into play in this method can no longer be doubted since 

 the searching investigations of Pasteur, which were confirmed (on repetition) by 

 Mayer and Knieriem. Pasteur showed that no acidification takes place if the 

 alcohol be allowed to trickle over shavings destitute of fungi. He assumed that 

 the organism taking part in the quick vinegar process is the same as that forming 

 the superficial skin in the Orleans method, the fungus being supposed to settle 

 on the shavings in the vinegar -generator and convert the slowly running vinegar 

 goods into acetic acid. Up to the present no precise investigations on the bacteria 

 acting in this branch of industry have been made public. This highly necessitous 

 industry has, more perhaps than any other, to struggle against a variety of 

 difficulties ; the actual losses of alcohol are enoi'mous, and no one is able to offer 

 any reliable explanation of their cause. The introduction and intelligent use of 

 suitable pure culture ferments would be a great boon. How much still remains 

 to be done and ascertained in this instance can be estimated by a comparative 

 glance at the conduct of fermentation in the operation of brewing. Not least 

 among the advantages to be derived from such a method of working which we 

 may hope will soon be elaborated would be the possibility (not afforded by the 

 present method) of combating the " vinegar eels." With regard to these 

 objectionable parasites, it may be mentioned that detailed morphological and 

 physiological information concerning Anguillula aceti will be found both in 

 Czernat's monograph (excerpts from which are contained in Borgmann's trans- 

 lation of Pasteur's Etudes sur le Vinaiyre] and in a treatise by G. LINDNER (I.), 

 which latter work chiefly deals with the pathogenic potency of these worms. As 

 SADEBECK (I.) has found, these parasites are occasionally themselves infested and 

 killed by a fungoid parasite belonging to the group of Oomycetes (mentioned in 

 the second volume), and known as Pythium Anyuillulce aceti. 



