376 FOOD AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



Any person vrbo sells or exposes for sale auy such beer as aforesaid, without com- 

 plying with the above enactment, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding in the case 

 of the first offense forty shillings, and in the case of the second or any subsequent 

 oftense ten pounds. 



Any fine incurred under this section may be recovered summarily by auy informer, 

 and one-half of the fine shall in every case be paid to the informer. 



(Definition of leer.) 3. In this act the term "beer" includes beer (other than black 

 or spruce beer), ale, and porter. 



(Extent of act.) 4. This act shall not extend to Ireland. 



(Commencement of act.) 5. This act shall come into operation on the first day of Jan- 

 uary, one thousand lifjht hundred and eighty-eight. 



This bill naturally excited considerable interest among food analysts, 

 to whom would fall the duty of determining the question that would 

 arise, under its enforcement, as to whether beers had been made from 

 hop or malt substitutes, and a circular was sent out by the president of 

 the Society of Public Analysts to the members of the society drawing 

 their attention to the bill and asking them to report to the secretary 

 any information they might have on the points whether the substances 

 used as substitutes for hops could be detected and identified with cer- 

 tainty by chemical analysis, and what opinion, if any, they might have 

 as to the effect on health of habitual small doses of sucli hop substi- 

 tutes. 1 



This circular called forth a few responses, among them the following 

 paper by Mr. Allen : 2 



AN IMPROVED METHOD OF DETECTING QUASSIA AND CERTAIN OTHER 

 HOP SUBSTITUTES IN BEER. 



[Read at the meeting in May, 18-7.] 



Hitherto the de'tection of hop substitutes iu beer has had for English analysts little 

 more than an academic interest. There has been no definition of beer, nor standard ot' 

 strength or quality, aud heuce the brewer has been free to employ any hop substi- 

 tute that could fairly be regarded as non-injurious. Now, however, that there are 

 two bills before Parliament, both of which aim at rendering the employment of hop 

 substitutes illegal, unless duly acknowledged, the question has acquired considerable 

 practical importance. If the bills in question ever become law, it will devolve on 

 the public analyst to certify to the presence or absence of hop substitutes, but, as 

 was recently pointed out by the chancellor of the exchequer to a deputation which 

 waited on him, it would be of no use to pass an act forbidding the unacknowledged 

 use of hop substitutes unless it was possible to detect infringement of the law. 

 Hence it has become important for public analysts to see how far the more Important 

 hop substitutes can be definitely detected in beer, or at auy rate distinguished from 

 hops. 



The problem in question is by no means a simple one. Beer itself is a highly com- 

 plex and variable product, aud some of the normal constituents add to the diiHculty 

 of detecting hop substitutes. The problem is further complicated by the possible 

 presence of several substitutes simultaneously, together with actual hops. Then the 

 bitter principles to which the hop substitutes owe their employment bave iu some 

 eases been very imperfectly studied, and belong to :i class ofbodies by no means dis- 

 tinguished for strong chemical aflinities or for characterist ic react ions. In fact, the 



'An:il\ -I 1887, p. Tit. //-/./.. p. ,07. 



