JAMAICA. 



BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT. 



New Series.] 



JANUARY, 1896. 



Vol. Ill 

 Part 1 . 



CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF THE PRO- 

 DUCTION OF THE AROMA IN RUM. 



devoid of any pronounced flavour, as compared with rum made from 

 skimmings, molasses and dunder. It is also generally asserted that rim 

 can only be made from juice, or the residue of juice, whic i has gone 

 through the process of sugar boiling ; though what particular part of 

 that process it is which constitutes the deciding influence is not known. 



My experiments lead me to conclude that it is the heating of the juice 

 with lime which is the essential part of that process. 



I have already shewn in the Bulletin for September, the part which 

 I believe the treatment of the juice with lime to play in the production 

 of the fruity acid in rum ; though it is probable that the nature of the 

 influence is different to that which I suggested in article No. 2 of this 

 series. Experiments which are not yet completed, seem to indicate 

 that the fruity acid is an oxidation product of the essential oil ; at any 

 rate observations extended over a considerable period, shew that the 

 fruity acid in samples of cane juice which have been treated with al- 

 kali and then sterilised increases considerably on standing exposed to 

 sterilised air. This change whatever may be the nature of it, takes 

 place in alkaline as well as in acid solutions, though in the former case 

 the change is of course not discernible, until the liquid has been acidi- 

 fied. The influence of the lime in that case is antecedent, partial, 

 and indirect, but lime also exercises a direct and complete influence on 

 the aroma, in setting free the essential oil of Kami. 



By Percival H. Greg. 



