THEORY OP FERMENTATION 367 



he speaks (that of malate of lime), certain spontaneous fer- 

 ments are produced, the germs of which are associated with 

 the yeast, and develop in the mixture of yeast and malate. 

 The yeast merely serves as a source of food for these new 

 ferments without taking any direct part in the fermentations 

 of which we are speaking. Our researches leave no doubt 

 on this point, as is evident from the observations on the 

 fermentation of tartrate of lime previously given. 



It is true that there are circumstances under which yeast 

 brings about modifications in different substances. Doeber- 

 einer and Mitscherlich, more especially, have shown that 

 yeast imparts to water a soluble material, which liquefies 

 cane-sugar and produces inversion in it by causing it to take 

 up the elements of water, just as diastase behaves to starch 

 or emulsin to amygdalin. 



M. Berthelot also has shown that this substance may be 

 isolated by precipitating it with alcohol, in the same way as 

 diastase is precipitated from its solutions.* These are 



DOCTEMINM, Journal dt Chimie de Schwtiggtr, voL adi., p. 129, and 

 journal de Pharmacie, vol. i., p. 342. 



MITSCHERLICH, Monatsberichte d. Kdn. Prenss. Akad. d. Wissen, zu Ber- 

 lin, and Rapports annutls de Berselius, Paris, 1843, 3rd year. On the 

 occasion of a communication on the inversion of cane-sugar by H. Rose, 

 published in 1840, M. Mitscherlich observed: "The inversion of cane-sugar 

 in alcoholic fermentation is not due to the globules of yeast, but to a 

 soluble matter in the water with which they mix. The liquid obtained by 

 straining off the ferment on a filter paper possesses the property of con- 

 verting cane-sugar into uncrystallizable sugar." 



BERTHKLOT, Comptts rendus de I'Academit. Meeting of May 28th, 1860, 

 M. Berthelot confirms the preceding experiment of Mitscherlich, and proves, 

 moreover, that the soluble matter of which the author speaks may be pre- 

 cipitated with alcohol without losing its invertive power. 



M. Bechamp has applied Mitscherlich's observation, concerning the solu- 

 ble fermentative part of yeast, to fungoid growths, and has made the inter- 

 esting discovery that fungoid growths, like yeast, yield to water a substance 

 that Inverts sugar. When the production of fungoid growths is prevented 

 by means of an antiseptic, the inversion of sugar does not take place. 



We may here say a few words respecting M. Bechamp's claim to priority 

 of discovery. It is a well-known fact that we were the first to demon- 

 strate that living ferments might be completely developed if their germs 

 were placed in pure water together with sugar, ammonia, and phosphates. 

 Relying on this established fact, that moulds are capable of development 

 in sweetened water in which, according to M. Bechamp, they invert the 

 sugar, our author asserts that he has proved that " living organized fer- 

 ments may originate in media which contain no albuminous substances," 

 (See Compttt rendus, TO!. Ixxv., p. 1519.) To be logical. M. Bechamp 

 might MT that he has Droved that certain moulds originate in pure 

 sweetened water without nitrogen or phosphates or other mineral elements, 

 for such a deduction might very well be drawn from his work, in which 

 we do not find the least expression of astonishment at the possibility of 

 moulds developing in pure water containing nothing but sugar without 

 other mineral or organic principles. 



organic principles. 

 In it we find* nothing relating to 



M. Bechamp's first note" on tfie Inversion of sugar was published in 

 the influence of moulds. Ills seco 



