226 



FOODS AND POOD ADULTERANTS. 



In comparison with these results it is of interest to refer to what has 

 been already published. 



Fluckiger states that from 16 to 20 per cent, of volatile oil is present, 

 and gives details in regard to its composition and reactions ; but be- 

 yond this nothing. 



Dietsch gives the following figures as the percentages of oil to be 

 expected in cloves from different sources; 



Per cent. 



Amboyna 16 to 21 



Zanzibar 12 to 17 



Cayenne 9 to 1$ 



There are one or two very old analyses in detail which are hardly re* 

 liable, and Dr. Ellis, of Toronto, has made investigations, still unpub- 

 lished, in regard to the amount of tannin present, with a view to using 

 the determination as a check on adulterants ; but with these exceptions 

 we are not aware of any other work upon the composition of this spice, 



The authentic whole samples show that the percentage of water may 

 be very variable, being at times as low as 2.90 per cent., and again as 

 much as 10.67, which is high for so oily a substance. The ash, too, has 

 rather wide extremes, varying from 5 to 13 per cent. The usual 

 amount would not, however, be far from 5.50 to 6.50 per cent. Volatile 

 oil falls in no case below the amount given by Dietsch, and serves as, 

 perhaps, the best means of judging of the quality of the specimens. 

 The extremes found in the pure specimens were 10.23 and 18.89 per cent., 

 while but five out of the eleven ground specimens reached 10 per cent. 



Other determinations do not seem especially characteristic. The ex- 

 tremes, which cannot be exceeded without casting suspicion, are ; 



The determination of tannin, following the suggestions of Dr. Ellis, 

 of Toronto, has been examined with results showing it to be of some 

 value, but not as great as that of volatile oil. Our experience showed 

 that it was as well to determine the matter oxidizable by permanganate, 

 after removal of oil, &c., by Squibb's ether, as to make a more elaborate 

 determination of tannin itself. In the best whole cloves from the im- 

 porters the quercitamiic acid equivalent of the oxidizable matter varied 

 from 18.72 to 22.13 per cent., and in the stem reached 23.24 per cent. 

 The determination will not, therefore, show the presence of stems in 

 ground cloves. The amount fell also in one unidentified specimen of 

 whole cloves to 11.70 per cent., but the quality of these buds was un- 

 known. It is fair to assume, then, that good cloves should contain ex- 



