194 



FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



Haslinger ami Mosliuger* have also published some observations on 

 pepper and its adulteration which are of interest. They show that in 

 Germany the addition of grains of paradise, the seed of Amomum 

 Melcgueta, is a common practice whose detection can be accomplished 

 most readily with the microscope, after a study of the structure of the 

 grains of paradise, which is very characteristic. The starch cells are 

 larger than in pepper, 3 to G times as long as hard, but the starch itself 

 is scarcely distinguishable. The cells are arranged in parallel lines 

 forming bundles pointed at the end. The cells remain white when 

 treated with hydrochloric acid, while those of pepper are yellower. 



These writers also looked into the ash of commercial samples of pep- 

 per and found from 4.1 to 27.0 per cent, of inorganic substance insoluble 

 in hydrochloric acid where in peppers ground by themselves only .3 

 and .8 per cent, occurred. They also found pepper siftings, pepper 

 husks, and other refuse in use as adulterants and followed up Leuz's 

 suggestions as to determination of reducing sugar produced from tbe 

 samples by acid, by examining pure pepper corns ground by themselves, 

 and also pepper husks, and extending the determinations to ci-llulose 

 also. The " dextrose," as they denominate it, was determined accord- 

 ing to Allihn, the "cellulose" according to Heiiberger. The results 

 were as follows : 



From these figures they give the following formulae for calculating 

 adulterations where : 



#=per cent, of pure pepper. 



y= per cent, of hulls. 



s=per cent, of dextrose or cellulose in sample. 



a=per cent, of dextrose in pure pepper. 



b= per cent, of dextrose in husks. 

 For the dextrose figures : 



100s- 1640 



x= 



For the cellulose figures : 



4500 100s 



* Ber. 4. Ver. Bay. Verterter ang. Chemie, 104-110. 



