374 FOOD AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



very largely consumed, its adulteration is by no means uncommon, al- 

 though principally confined to its watering, together with additions 

 for the purpose of covering up such attenuation, such as foreign color- 

 ing matters. In the Paris Municipal Laboratory out of 63 samples ex- 

 amined in 1881,39 were pronounced "bad," among which were 20 artifi- 

 cially colored; in 1882, 59 samples were examined, of which 30 were 

 declared " bad," of which 7 samples were artificially colored ; 2 samples 

 contained salicylic acid. The following is considered there as a mini- 

 mum limit for the composition of a pure cider, and any sample which 

 falls below it in any constituent is considered as watered: 



This is for a completely fermented cider; in sweet ciders the con- 

 tent of sugar should exceed the limit sufficiently to make up for the 

 deficiency of alcohol, to which it should be calculated. 



EXAMINATION OF THE SAMPLES FOR ADULTERATION. 



The investigation of the samples was undertaken with the full ex- 

 pectation of finding a considerable number preserved with antiseptics. 

 This supposition failed to be confirmed, however, for no salicylic acid 

 was found, and in but one case was any test obtained for sulphite's. 

 None of the samples fell below the standard proposed by the French 

 chemists, given above, and no metallic or other adulteration was dis- 

 covered. 



The single exception, however, No. 4927, was an em bodiment in itself 

 of nearly all the adulterations which have been enumerated as possible 

 in cider. It was handsomely put up in neatly capped bottles, and of a 

 clear, bright color. Its tremendous " head " of gas when uncorked gave 

 rise at once to the suspicion that it had received some addition to pro- 

 duce an artificial pressure of gas, for pure cider does not contain suffi- 

 cient sugar to produce very much after fermentation, any more than 

 pure wine. The low content of free acid, together with the largo 

 amount of ash and very variable content of carbonic acid in different 

 bottles, established the fact that bicarbonate of soda had been added, 

 probably a varying quantity to each bottle, while the dose of sulphites 

 added was so large that a bottle has stood open in the laboratory all 

 through the summer without souring. 



To describe in detail the methods for the detection of the adulterations 

 of cider would be simply a repetition of what has been previously 

 given in connection with either beer or wine ; the search for preserva- 

 tives is precisely the same, and the detection of the addition of antacids 

 has been fully treated of under beer. No search was made for artificial 

 coloring matters, as it seems very improbable that any such should be 

 used in this country, and no evidence of any dilution was found. 



