NOTES ON COCONUT, COPKA, AND COCONUT OIL. 129 



two processes, each ending ultimately in tlie production of free acid, 

 might be less than either of them working singly. The probabilities are 

 that oxidation does not set in until most of the nutritive substances 

 present in the oil are used up, thus it would be natural to expect that 

 for a certain period of time no difference in the rate of acidification of an 

 oil, due to the size of the container, would be observed. 



Sample number 3 was , filtered, removing molds, albuminous matter 

 and any enzymes insoluble in oil, together with most of the water. Dur- 

 ing the first year an increase in acidity of 1.4 per cent was noted. The 

 difference between this figure and 3.6 per cent, the increase of 1-a for 

 a corresponding time, gives 2.3 per cent which may be attributed to 

 molds and insoluble enzjanes. Practically no difference, due to size of 

 bottle, is observed in number 2 as well as in nearly all the other samples, 

 during the first year, although it is quite marked at the end of the 

 second year. Number 3 differs from number 1 only in containing a 

 small amount of antiseptic. It shows 1.6 per cent less increase during 

 the first year than number 1. This can be due only to inhibition of 

 molds. During the second year 3-a has increased 0.9 'pev cent more 

 than 1-a, a fact for which I can find no explanation, except that during 

 the second year some surface oxidation may have taken place, even in the 

 small bottles. Five cubic centimeters of oil had been removed for 

 titration at the end of the first year, thus leaving a small air space. This 

 being the case, somewhat wider variation in acidity might be exjDected. 

 The figure of 0.4 increase for the second year in the case of number 1-a 

 seems exceptionally low, compared with the other samples during this 

 period. 3-a has increased only a trifle more in acidity as compared with 

 2-a, thus proving that the addition of antiseptic has about the same effect 

 as filtration and that most of the difference in behavior of a filtered and 

 an unfiltered oil is due to the removal of molds and insoluljle enzymes. 

 Number 4 was filtered and treated with antiseptic with results which 

 practically con-espond with those of 2 and 3. Filtration appears to be 

 slightly more efficient than adding antiseptic. It is quite possible that 

 chloral in the strength used does not have an immediately fatal effect 

 on fat splitting molds, althougli it certainly inhibits their action to a 

 very marked extent. 



Numbers 5 and 6 have both been heated at 100° and treated with 

 antiseptic, thus eliminating mold and enzyme action, and in the case of 

 full Iwttles leaving only the factor of hydrolysis -to be considered. As 

 would naturally be expected, the filtered sample, 6-a, has increased in 

 total acidity considerably less than 5-a, from which tlie water was not 

 removed. Only number 6 of the whole series shows practically the same 

 difference at the end of each year between the full and the half full 



