468 
HONEY, ANALYSIS OF 
portion of the honey-extracted solutions, 
made to lOOce. with cold recently boiled 
distilled water and determine the reducing 
portion of each of the honey-extracted solu¬ 
tions. To the remainder of the solution, add 
5 drops of toluene to prevent growth of 
micro-organisms; place in an oven at 25 to 
30° C. for four days and again determine 
reducing sugars. For diastase, use the 
same procedure as described above, starting 
with 10 grams of honey, except that a solu¬ 
tion of starch equivalent to 0.25 grams of 
potato starch is substituted for sucrose and 
the solution is kept at 45 to 50° C. 
for 24 hours in place of 4 days at 25 to 
30° C. The results in each case are ex¬ 
pressed in grams of reducing sugars per 
100 grams of honey. 
The following figures for diastase on 
pure German honeys have been obtained: 
0.60 to 3.68, and for invertase 1.05 to 12.02. 
There are no figures so far published for 
American honeys. 
ALBUMINOID PRECIPITATE. 
“LUND’S TEST.” 
In the undetermined matter of honey, 
there are varying quantities of substances 
precipitated by the addition of tannin and 
also phosphotungstic acid. The quantity of 
the precipitate so obtained has been used 
as a measure of adulteration. Commercial 
invert sugar contains none of these mate¬ 
rials, hence no precipitate, so that a figure 
for this test below the minimum of a pure 
honey in conjunction with the diastase test 
and color test strongly indicated adultera¬ 
tion. 
For these tests a special glass tube is 
necessary, similar in form to a Horvet 
maple tube. The tube should hold over 
40cc., and have a mark at the 40cc. point. 
The lower portion of the tube should hold 
4cc., and be 8mm. in diameter and be 
graduated into tenths of a cubic centimeter. 
The upper portion should be 16mm. in 
diameter. The lower portion of this part 
should be graduated into half cubic centi¬ 
meters up to 20cc.; from 20cc. to 40cc. 
there need be no graduation. 
lund’s tannin test. 
Take 20cc. of a filtered ten-per-cent 
honey solution in the tube and add 5co, of 
a five-per-cent tannin solution (in distilled 
water), then add distilled water to the 
40cc. mark and shake thoroly. Allow the 
tube to stand 24 hours and then read off 
the volume of the precipitate. Results in 
Germany on this test show pure honeys 
never go below 0.9cc. of the precipitate 
and seldom below 1.2ce. and may go as 
high as 4.0ce. Adulterated honeys show 
figures from nothing up to 0.30 and higher,- 
but seldom above l.Occ. 
lund’s phosphotungstic acid test. 
In a tube described above, add 20cc. of 
a filtered ten-per-cent honey solution and 
then 5cc. of the following reagent: phos- 
photungstie acid, 2 grams; sulphuric acid 
(1 to 4), 20 grams; water, 80 grams; then 
water to the 40cc. mark. Shake as before 
and allow to stand 24 hours. Pure honeys 
show from 0.3cc. to 40cc. of a precipitate, 
while adulterated honey much less. This 
latter test has been used more than the 
tannin test. Results from American honeys 
by American chemists have not been pub¬ 
lished. 
COLOR TESTS. 
In the commercial manufacture of invert 
sugar there is more or less decomposition 
of a small percentage of the levulose, giv¬ 
ing rise to furfural or oxymethyl furfural. 
This latter body when treated with various 
reagents develops brilliant colors. This, 
then, is the basis of a color test for com¬ 
mercial invert sugar. As levulose and dex¬ 
trose are present in pure honey, it is 
claimed that by overheating these same 
furfural bodies will be formed. Much has 
been written pro and con on this point, 
possibly mainly to cast doubt on these very 
delicate color tests. Heating as carried on 
by the beekeeper (up to 160° F.) will never 
develop furfural in a pure honey. Heat¬ 
ing to boiling and then cooling will not de¬ 
velop this substance. Boiling a very acid 
honey may give a very slight test, but 
taken along with the strength of color 
shown by commercial invert sugar when 
present in as low as 5 per cent no one 
would be confused by the test. 
The number of these color tests proposed 
are too many to be given in one place. The 
following are easily worked. 
