GINGER BEER AND BEBEES 



229 



of starting the fennentation. The ferment is evidently closely 

 related to the following. 



13. Bebee Wine. — Bebees or California Bees, also known as 

 Japanese Beer Seeds, is a ferment composed largely of dried 

 yeast cells which when added to solutions of sugar or molasses 

 causes a quick alcohoHc fermentation, resulting in a pleasant alco- 

 hoUc drink (bebee wine). The bebees or bebee granules resemble 

 dried peas somewhat, though they may be quite variable in 

 size. Some 1 5 years ago this ferment was quite common in the 

 United States, having been reported from California, Minnesota, 



_=»5i # 





Fig. 83. — Vinegar organisms. A, Bacterium (Mycoderma) aceti; B, Bacterium 

 pasteurianus; C, Bacterium kittzingianum; D, B. pasteurianum, showing the mucilagi- 

 nous sheath. This mucilaginous material causes the cells to stick together in large 

 masses, forming the so-called "mother of vinegar." — (Marshall.) 



Kentucky and other states. It is evidently of Japanese origin. 

 Kebler and Lloyd made brief reports on this ferment several, years 

 ago, and it is reported that the ferment has disappeared from the 

 American market. 



Additional products of fermentation are vinegar, sauerkraut, 

 pickled cucumbers, apple cider, yeast cakes, sour dough and a 

 host of other substances used as food or employed in the prepara- 

 tion of foods. These may occasionally come to the notice of the 

 food bacteriologist. Vinegars, yeast cakes, sauerkraut and pickles, 

 in particular, may be attacked by objectionable organisms. 



