352 THE COMPOSITION OF CHEESE AND FERMENTED PRODUCTS. 



Wiley gives the following mean composition of koumiss pre- 

 pared in America : 



Water, 



Carbon dioxide, 

 Alcohol, 

 Lactic acid, 

 Proteins, . 

 Fat, . 

 Sugar, 



89-32 per cent. 

 0-83 

 0-76 

 0-47 

 2-56 

 2-05 

 4-38 



Koumiss has the advantage of being a food and a stimulant 

 at the same time ; and is, for this reason, often prescribed by 

 the medical faculty in cases of disease (e.g., gastritis) when no 

 other food can be retained. 



Kephir. This is a preparation of a nature similar to koumiss 

 and is produced from milk by means of kephir grains. 



The following is the composition of kephir according to various 

 authorities : 



TABLE CXXI. 



Kephir differs from koumiss chiefly in the comparatively 

 small amount of proteoses it contains, showing that, although 

 the alcoholic and lactic fermentations have taken place, the 

 protein-hydrolytic fermentation is very weak. 



Struve found in kephir grains : 



Water, 



Fat, .... 



Protein, 



The author has examined a 

 following composition : 



11-21 per cent. 

 . 3-99 

 . 51-69 



kephir powder," which had the 



Water, 



Milk-sugar, 



Other organic matter, 



Ash, . 



2-29 per cent. 

 89-90 

 7-42 

 1-39 



