354 FOOD AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



described petiotizatiou, gallization, and cliaptalization. For the de- 

 tection of such wines it is necessary to establish maximum and mini- 

 mum limits for the principal constituents of wines, and the relation in 

 which these constituents stand to one another. To establish these 

 limits is rather difficult, and requires a large series of analyses extend- 

 ing over many years. The constituents most relied on for the estab- 

 lishment of the character of a wine in judging whether it has been di- 

 luted or not are: the extract, content of free acid, and the relation be- 

 tween the extract and mineral matters. 



In Germany the lowest limit of the extract in a natural wine is placed 

 at 1.5 grams in lOOcc., and after subtracting the amount of free fixed 

 acids calculated as tartaric from the extract, the amount of the latter 

 left must be not less than 1.1 grams ; or after the subtraction of the 

 total free acids as tartaric, not less than 1. gram in lOOcc. In the 

 Paris Laboratory no exact limits are set, the decision being left to the 

 judgment of the analyst, after a careful comparison of the sample 

 with analyses of previous similar wines done in the laboratory in past 

 years. The sugar added is often glucose, which introduces into the wine 

 substances more or less injurious, depending upon its character. Ordi- 

 nary glucose contains usually 10 or 15 per cent, of notf-feruientable 

 substances, which serves to increase the weight of the extract, thus 

 masking the addition of water. Its fermentation gives rise to the for- 

 mation of a small quantity of amyiic alcohol, which increases the intox- 

 icating effect of such wines, and causes headache and nausea in those 

 partaking of them. 



In the detection of this substance advantage is taken of the non-fer- 

 mentable character of the dextrin it contains, and of the presence of 

 amylin, a non-fermentable, highly dextrorotatory body found in commer- 

 cial starch sugar. 50cc. of wine, after driving off the alcohol by evapora- 

 tion, are subjected to fermentation by the addition of a little well-washed 

 yeast. After the fermentation is complete the liquid is clarified by 

 means of lead or bone black, and polarized. If starch sugar has been 

 used a strong rotation to the right will be observed, while if the wine 

 was natural, or if the sugar used was cane sugar, there would be no 

 rotation. The following procedure is also given by the German Com- 

 mission : 



Two hundred and ton cubic centimeters of the wine are evaporated to a thin sirup on 

 the water-bath after the addition of a few drops of a 20 per cent, solution of acetate of 

 potash. To the residue is gradually added with continual stirring SOOcc. of 90 per cent, 

 alcohol. The alcoholic solution when perfectly clear is poured off or filtered into a 

 llask and the alcohol driven off until only about lice, remain. Tin- residue is treated 

 with about 15cc. water and a little bone-black, filtered into a graduated cylinder and 

 washed with water until the volume measures 30cc. If, now, this liijuid shows a ro 

 tation of more than +0.5, Wild, the wine contains the unfermentablo matters of com- 

 mercial potato sugar (amylin). 



I have made no trial of these methods on American \\incs, and givr 

 them simply as a reference. It is well known that American starch 



