SAUER KRAUT. 223 



to one who may consume the vinegar. Their presence is, however, 

 undesirable. All these troubles increase as the amount of acid 

 decreases, for the miscellaneous bacteria and the vinegar eels cannot 

 grow if the acidity is high, but they will grow when this acidity 

 decreases. The reduction in acidity is commonly due to the 

 action of bacteria and usually to the very kind of bacteria that 

 originally produced it; for these organisms, after producing the acid, 

 may cause a further oxidation which destroys it. Hence, it has 

 been suggested that pasteurization of the vinegar for the purpose 

 of destroying the bacteria and vinegar eels will enhance its keeping 

 property. Whether there is any practical value in this procedure 

 has not yet been determined by experience. 



SAUER KRAUT. 



This is a food used so widely in Europe and coming to be so 

 popular in this country that it may well be regarded as one of the 

 most important of the minor farm products. It is made of cabbage, 

 slightly fermented and prevented from decay by lactic acid bacteria 

 (Fig. 49). The cabbage leaves, after being washed, are shredded 

 and packed in casks under pressure, to remove most of the moisture. 

 In these casks a fermentation soon starts, ^ 



which is two-fold. Yeasts that are present *^cg8 



produce an alcoholic fermentation, evolving ^ 



gas that causes the whole mass to foam and 

 froth. At the same time, the lactic acid bac- 

 teria, the same species apparently that sour FIG. 49 .-The bacteria 

 milk, develop rapidly and cause the mass to and 'yeasts that ferment 



. sauer kraut. 



sour. The bacteria growth is primarily in 

 the juice squeezed out of the cabbage tissue, and not in the 

 solid matter. As the mass becomes sour from the acid, the 

 growth of all bacteria is checked. By this means the ordinary 

 putrefactive organisms are prevented from producing the decay 

 of the vegetable mass, as they would otherwise do. When properly 

 soured, sauer kraut has a flavor that makes it a relish. It may be 

 ready for consumption in two weeks, but it is usually kept much 



