212 FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



From the data it is not difficult to detect the presence of adulterants. 

 The whole Zanzibar pepper ground in the laboratory has 26.99 per cent, 

 of noil- volatile ether extract, much more than was found byStrohuier, and 

 the other pure specimen 17.90 per cent. None of the others reach these 

 figures. In. albuminoids the addition of starchy and mineral diluents 

 also makes a marked difference, their presence being revealed in a 

 striking way. 



The unexplained presence of so much volaltile matter on the two 

 worst specimens and of so much ash in the Zanzibar of good grade as 

 compared with these same specimens containing mineral adulterants, is 

 remarkable and shows that too hasty conclusions must not be drawn 

 from the chemical data. It should be noticed also that the water in 

 our specimens falls far below that given by Strohmer, a peculiarity 

 which has been noted in other cases. In the detection of adulteration 

 of Cayenne by chemical methods, determinations of water and ash, 

 ether extract and albuminoids are, it seems, of value and as a rule will 

 serve to reveal the means of adulteration. When combined with a mi- 

 croscopic examination the estimation of the amount of the diluents 

 present would not be difficult. 



GINGER. 



The rhizome, or commonly root, of Zingiber offidnalc is known as 

 ginger. It is a " reed -like plant, with annual leafy stems 3 to 4 feet 

 high, and flowers in cone-shaped spikes borne on other stems thrown up 

 from the rhizome. It is a native of Asia, in the warmer countries of 

 which it is universally cultivated, but is not known in the wild state. 

 It has been introduced into most tropical countries, including the West 

 Indies." 



Ginger occurs in two forms dried with the epidermis as coated gin- 

 ger and as scraped ginger when the epidermis is removed. The un- 

 coated ginger is prepared by scraping and washing the rhizome and 

 then drying it in the sun. Thus prepared, Fliickiger and Hanbury say : 



It has a pale buff hue and breaks easily, exhibiting a short and farinaceous fracture 

 with numerous bristle-like fibers. When cut with a knife the younger and terminal 

 portion of the rhizome appears pale yellow, soft, and amylaceous, while the older 

 part is flinty, hard, and resinous. 



Coated ginger or that which has been dried without the removal of the epidermis is 

 covered with a wrinkled, striated brown integument, which imparts to it a somewhat 

 coarse and crude appearance, which is usually remarkably less developed on the flat 

 parts of the rhizome. Internally it is usually of a less bright and delicate hue than 

 ginger from which the cortical part has been removed. Much of it, indeed, is dark, 

 horny, and resinous. 



In our markets we find Jamaica ginger, which is the finest variety, 

 being very carefully prepared and scraped, and several qualities of 

 brown ginger which is unscraped and not carefully prepared, and is 

 imported from India and the Bast. The latter is sometimes bleached 



