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23.— POTATO. 



Nat. Oed. — Solanaceae. 



Solanum tuberosum. 



This important tuber owes its dietetic value 

 principally to the Starch it contains. Flesh- 

 forming material is present only in a small 

 quantity, so that it cannot be exclusively used 

 as food, but requires the addition of substances 

 rich in albuminoids, like pea flour, meat, &c. 

 The Potato has, however, many uses besides that 

 of a table vegetable. The Starch is a cheap 

 substitute for Arrowroot, and when submitted 

 to a dry heat for a lengthened time is converted 

 into dextrin, called also British Gum. 



The spirit known as British Brandy is 

 prepared from Potato Starch. The Starch of 

 the Potato possesses characters which readily 

 distinguishes it from any other. 



The granules are very variable in size, some 

 being quite as large as the Carina Starches, but 

 the appearance of the concentric lines is quite 

 different, being more irregular and in many cases 

 not so well defined ; the distinctness of the lines 

 does not depend upon the size of the grain, as 

 they are frequently quite as much or even more 

 pronounced in the small than in the large 

 granules. There is no difficulty in detecting 

 Potato Starch when used as an adulterant. 



