DAIRY PRODUCTS. 27 



baskets from Brazil, tho latter in casks from French Guiana. The French, which is 

 also called flag annotto, has a disagreeable smell, probably from having been prepared 

 by the fermenting process, but is superior as a dye-stuff to the Spanish, which is with- 

 out any disagreeable odor. Annotto is of a brownish red color, usually rather soft 

 but hard and brittle when dry, of a dull fracture, of a sweetish peculiar odor, and a 

 rough, saline, bitterish taste. It is inflammable, but does not melt with heat. It 

 softens in water, to which it imparts a yellow color, hut does not dissolve. Alcohol, 

 ether, the oils, and alkaline solutions dissolve the greater part of it. It contains a 

 peculiar crystallizable coloring principle, to which M. Preisser, its discoverer, gave 

 the name of bixin. It is frequently adulterated with red ocher, powdered bricks, col- 

 cotUar, farinaceous substances, chalk, sulphate of calcium, turmeric, &c. The min- 

 eral substances, if present, will be left behind when the annotto is burned. 1 



SAFFRON. 



Saffron has a peculiar, sweetish, aromatic odor, a warm, pungent, bitter taste, and 

 a rich deep orange color, which it imparts to the saliva when chewed. The stigmas 

 of which it consists are an inch or more in length, expanded and notched at the up- 

 per extremity, and narrowing towards tho lower, whero they terminate in a slender, 

 capillary, yellowish portion, forming a part of tho style. When chewed it tinges tho 

 saliva deep orange-yellow. Saffron should not bo mixed with the yellow styles. 

 When pressed between filtering paper it should not leave an oily stain. When soaked 

 in water it colors the liquid orange-yellow, and should not deposit any pulverulent 

 mineral matter nor show the presence of organic substances differing in shape from 

 that described. 2 



Adulteration of saffron. Saffron is often adulterated with cheaper yellow vegeta- 

 ble coloring matter, turmeric, annotto, the flowers of the marigold (Calendula offici- 

 nalis), Carthamus flowers, tho flowers of A mica montana, Scolymus hispanicus, Puii- 

 caria clysentcrica, Pnnica granatum, Pwonia, Crocus vernus, &c. 3 



Of these the marigold flowers are perhaps tho most commonly used. They have a 

 natural yellow color, and when they are saturated with carmine or aniline red, and 

 dried, they possess a striking similarity to the genuine saffron. If they are put for 

 a few minutes in water, however, they assume their original form, and are then easily 

 distinguished from the stigmas of the saffron flower. 



If a mixture of saffron stiginas and the substitutes just mentioned be 

 put into a vessel of water where the individual pieces are widely sepa- 

 rated, the saffron stigmas soon become surrounded with a yellow ex- 

 tract, while the others suffer no change or impart only a weak carmine 

 tint to the water. 



The use of mineral coloring matters like the chromate of lead is highly 

 reprehensible from, a sanitary point of view. 



Anuotto and saffron in butter may be detected by the following 

 method, proposed by Cornwall: 4 



About 5 grams of the warm filtered fat are dissolved in about 50cc. of ordinary ether 

 in a wide tube, and tho solution is vigorously shaken for ten to fifteen seconds with 

 12 to 15cc. of a very dilute solution of caustic potash or soda in water, only alkaline 

 enough to give a distinct reaction with turmeric paper, and to remain alkaline after 

 separating from the ethereal fat solution. The corked tube is set aside and in a few 



1 U. S. Dispensatory, p. 1572. 

 2 U. S. Dispensatory, p. 501. 



3 Schimpfer, Anleit. z. Mikroskopischeu Untersuchuug d. Nauru n gs- und Genuss- 

 mittel, p. 101. 



49. 



