PURE YEAST CULTURE. 257 



by the latter ferment. The experiments showed that a pure 

 culture of Sacch. Vordermannii yielded a very fine arrack, 

 which, unlike the ordinary commercial product, did not contain 

 fusel oil. 



In east and south Asia, mould fungi have from olden 

 times been employed on a large scale in the preparation 

 of fermented liquors, and mainly as diastatic agents. In 

 the above, we have seen that this is the case in the manu- 

 facture of arrack in Java ; a better known example is afforded 

 in the manufacture of Japanese sake". Certain species of 

 Aspergillus and Mucor play an important part in this con- 

 nection. Great interest has been excited by Jokichi Taka- 

 mine's communications, according to which he obtains 

 diastatic and yeast ferments from different moulds. Some 

 more or less detailed accounts of these have recently appeared 

 in some English newspapers and technical journals. Taka- 

 mine desired mainly to elaborate a method which would 

 do away with the present process of malting, which he regards 

 as objectionable. He sought a diastase producer amongst 

 the micro-organisms, and found one in one of the species 

 included under the collective name Aspergillus oryzce. 

 According to his statements, this species gives an abundant 

 growth on wheat bran at about 32 C. ; the newly- formed 

 unripe conidia develop his yeast cells when sown in the 

 mash, and at this stage the mycelium is also rich in diastase. 

 His description of this fungus and its properties is, however, 

 not very clear, and in all essentials he only repeats what has 

 been said before concerning the old Japanese process. The 

 view held by him is that this diastase not only should do 

 away with the malting process, but that it also will be of 

 service in medicine. The Aspergillus yeast is stated to excel 

 all known yeasts in its power of producing a rapid and 

 vigorous fermentation, and is said to be capable of yielding 

 as much as 20 per cent, of alcohol. Moreover, the same has 

 been said of certain wine yeasts long before anything was 



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