134 BACTERIA, YEASTS, AND MOLDS 



Although they are not bacteria a word may be said in 

 regard to the vinegar eels frequently found in good cider 

 vinegar. These are minute little worms, just visible to the 

 naked eye, which are frequently seen swimming near the 

 surface. Their presence may be consistent with a good 

 quality of vinegar. They do not themselves have much 

 influence upon vinegar, although if abundant they weaken 

 its strength. They are quite harmless to the person using 

 the vinegar, and one need never be suspicious or throw 

 away any because it contains large numbers of these eels. 

 They must be looked upon as present in ordinary good 

 cider vinegar, and must be classed among the perfectly 

 harmless organisms which are sure to occur in some of 

 our food products. 



FOOD EVENTUALLY RUINED BY BACTERIA 



These illustrations are sufficient to show that the by- 

 products of decomposition are not always necessarily dis- 

 advantageous to our foods. If the chemical destruction 

 is only beginning, the result may be of a pleasant nature, 

 and the food may be actually benefited by the action of 

 the bacteria. If, however, this process is allowed to go 

 farther, most foods are entirely ruined. Gamy food soon 

 becomes putrescent ; soft cheeses of all kinds soon undergo 

 putrefaction and decay, and even the hard cheese in the 

 end will become ruined by the development of too strong 

 a flavor of putrefaction. Butter in the course of time is 

 also ruined, although bacteria do not grow readily in butter 

 and it may be kept a long time without undergoing putre- 

 faction. It is, however, really impossible to draw any 



