86 OUR BODIES AND HOW WE LIVE 



Two new substances are formed out of the material 

 that composed the sugar. One substance is carbon dioxide, 

 a gas that passes up and out of the liquid in the form of 

 bubbles. 



The other substance is alcohol, a liquid and a poison, which 

 remains in the fermenting fluid. 



127. Change wrought by Alcoholic Fermentation. It is a 

 law of nature that fermentation changes the character of 

 the substance fermented. Fresh fruit juice that has not 

 begun to ferment is good and wholesome. With the begin- 

 ning of fermentation its nature begins to change. When 

 all, or nearly all, of the sugar in the fruit juice has been 

 changed to alcohol, the effect of the wine thus resulting 

 upon the person who drinks it will be very different from 

 the effect of the same quantity of fresh fruit juice. 



A great variety of plant structures, such as the juice of 

 ripe grapes, pears, apples, and other fruits, and infusions of 

 barley, corn, rye, wheat, and other grains have been used 

 by man in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages. But 

 whatever the substance used, whenever a sweet liquid is 

 made to undergo alcoholic fermentation the result is a 

 liquid containing alcohol and therefore dangerous for use 

 as a beverage. 



128. Wine. One of the most common alcoholic bever- 

 ages is wine, made chiefly from the juice of grapes. Home- 

 made wines are often made from the juice of currants, 

 blackberries, tomatoes, and other fruits rich in sugar. As 

 the juice is pressed out of the crushed fruit, the yeast fer- 

 ments which are in the air as well as on the stems and 

 skins are washed into a vat. Here the ferments bud and 

 multiply rapidly as fermentation begins. In a short time 

 the sugary juice that was sweet and wholesome while in 



