CHAPTER VI. 



BEVERAGES. 



COFFEE. 



The seed or berry of the plant Coffea arabica. Each 

 coffee bean contains two seeds. These are removed, 

 roasted, and ground, producing coffee. The chief con- 

 stituent is caffeine, identical with theine, or trimethyl- 

 xanthin C 5 H(CH 3 ) 3 N 4 2 , and on the average 1*2 per 

 cent is present. 



The chief adulterant is chicory, or the wild endive 

 (Cichorium intybus), but this can be legally used as a 

 diluent for coffee if the article is sold as a mixture. Chicory 

 is the root of the plant, dried, and powdered. It contains 

 no caffeine, much less fat than coffee, and much more sugar. 



Other adulterants which have been used are : dandelion 

 root, mangel-wurzel, turnips, bean, pea, rye, and wheat 

 flours, caramelized condemned sea-biscuit. The berries 

 themselves are sometimes spurious, being moulded from a 

 composition of chicory and other substances. Chicory 

 itself is sometimes adulterated with some of these substances 

 and occasionally with roasted beetroot. 



Analysis. 



Moisture. Dry 5 grm. to a constant weight at ioo C. 

 Should not exceed 6 per cent (chicory 10 per cent). 



Total Ash. Ignite 5 grams, until a nearly white ash is 

 obtained. From 3-5 to 5 per cent. Chicory ash is reddish 

 from the presence of iron, and is about 5 per cent. Four- 

 fifths of coffee ash is soluble in water ; one-third of chicory 

 ash. 



Caffeine is extracted by successive boilings with water, 

 the albuminous matter precipitated by acetate of lead, 

 filter, concentrate the filtrate to small bulk, and extract 

 four or five times with chloroform. On evaporating the 

 chloroform, pure caffeine is left. Should be ri per cent 

 to 1 -3 per cent (chicory none). ^ 



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