84 FERMENTATION. 



possesses the property of precipitating albuminous 

 substances, promote fermentation ? 



Among the constituents of wine ferment, Bouchardat 

 reckons an albuminous substance, a solid fat, a liquid 

 phosphoric fat, lactic acid, lactate of lime and lactate 

 of soda, acid phosphate of lime and of soda. All which 

 bodies have either already been found or might be 

 discovered in beer ferment. 



I now address myself to Walz's Analyses, which, 

 being perfectly valueless, I should pass over in silence, 

 were it not that their apparent accuracy is calculated 

 to mislead and give rise to grave mistakes. 



Walz found that wine and beer ferment correspond 

 exactly.* He detected in them fat of a greenish colour, 

 brown resin, albuminous matter of easy solubility in 

 acetic acid, besides gypsum, tartrate of lime and mag- 

 nesia, oxide of iron and some alumina. "Wine ferment 

 washed with water, acetic acid and potash, left a resi- 

 due of cellulose, after the cells were emptied. And 

 this, according to Walz, exactly agrees with the resi- 

 due of beer ferment. He gives their chemical com- 

 position in the following manner : 



* Journal fiir. Pract. Pharm. vol. xiii. p. 77. In the following 

 analyses, C=^6, N 14. 



