166 



GIBBS. 



palms that yield such juice do not appear to have been carefully examined. The 

 natives of India attribute peculiar pi-operties to each." 



Lyon" states that: "The vinegar as produced is of good strength and color, 

 of the highest keeping qualities and of unrivaled flavor. Its excellence is so 

 pronounced that upon its merits it would readily find sale in the world's markets; 

 ajid although the local demand for the tuba now exceeds the production, its 

 conversion into vinegar will probably prove the more profitable industry in the 

 future." 



In the Philippines, some vinegar is produced wherever the coconut tree 

 is tapped for its sap. Five samples have been obtained and analyzed. 

 One was bought by me in the open market at Nagcarlan, Laguna Prov- 

 ince, and was pronounced by a resident to be good vinegar. Four 

 samples were forwarded by Mr. M. E. McParland from Maripipi, Leyte. 

 Two of these were made with the addition of tan-bark. (Ceriops tagal 

 C. B. Eobinson and Rhizophora mucronata Lamarck.) He states that 

 the natives pound the tan-bark to a powder and put small quantities 

 into the bamboo tubes used for collecting the sap. The proportion is 

 about a tablespoonful to the liter. The samples prepared with tan-bark 

 are brown, while the others are almost colorless. The reasons for the 

 use of the tan-bark are not understood. I believe that it improves the 

 taste. This is partly due to the astringency of the tannin and partly 

 to the inhibition of a putrid fermentation Avhich sets in very shortly 

 after the sap has flowed from the tree. Much of the nitrogenous sub- 

 stances of the sap are precipitated by the tannin. 



Table XXIII. — Analyses of samples of coconut-sap vinegar. 



By p. AGCAOILI. 



Component. 



Density 



Total solids 



Ash 



Alcohol 



Acetic acid 



Polarization 



Tannin 



Reducing sugars . 



Samples 



from 



Nagcar- 



lan. 



No. 1. 



1. 0100 

 2.06 

 0.45 

 7.37 

 1.51 

 +2.20 

 0.00 



Samples from Leyte. 



Sap taken from 

 tree in April 

 and analyses 

 made in July, 

 1910. 



No. 2. 



1. 0132 



3.57 



0.55 



4.50 



3.41 



0.00 



0.00 



0.67 



No. 3. 



1.0132 



3.56 



0.56 



4.50 



3.31 



0.00 



0.00 



0.68 



Sap taken from 

 tree in March 

 and analyses 

 made in Julv, 

 1910. Prepared 

 with tan-bark. 



No. 4. 



L0400 



L62 



0.53 



5.25 



3.00 



0.00 



0.025 



0.63 



No. 5. 



1.0400 



1.45 



0.57 



5.25 



3.00 



0.00 



0.031 



0.83 



' Loc. cit. 



