134 BACTERIA, YEASTS, AND MOLDS 



Although they are not bacteria a word may be said in 

 regard to the vinegar eels frequently found in good cider 

 vinegar. These are minute little worms, just visible to the 

 naked eye, which are frequently seen swimming near the 

 surface. Their presence is an indication of a good quality 

 of vinegar. They do not themselves have much influence 

 upon vinegar, neither particularly injuring it nor benefit- 

 ing it. They are quite harmless to the person using the 

 vinegar, and one need never be suspicious or throw away 

 any because it contains large numbers of these eels. They 

 must be looked upon as normally present in good cider 

 vinegar, and must be classed among the perfectly harmless 

 organisms which are sure to occur in some of our food 

 products. 



Food eventually ruined by Bacteria 



These illustrations are sufficient to show that the by- 

 products of decomposition are not always necessarily dis- 

 advantageous to our foods. If the chemical destruction 

 is only beginning, the result may be of a pleasant nature, 

 and the food may be actually benefited by the action of 

 the bacteria. If, however, this process is allowed to go 

 farther, most foods are entirely ruined. Gamy food soon 

 becomes putrescent ; soft cheeses of all kinds soon undergo 

 putrefaction and decay, and even the hard cheese in the 

 end will become ruined by the development of too strong 

 a flavor of putrefaction. Butter in the course of time is 

 also ruined, although bacteria do not grow readily in butter 

 and it may be kept a long time without undergoing putre- 

 faction. It is, however, really impossible to draw any 



