276 
A  New  Spice  Adulterant, 
f  Am.  Jonr.  Phanru 
1       June,  1890. 
A  NEW  SPICE  ADULTERANT. 
By  Frank  A.  Hennessy,  Ph.G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. — 
•  No.  72. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  May  20. 
Some  time  ago  the  attention  of  the  writer  was  called  to  some 
samples  of  "  artificial  ground  spices  "  which  bore  a  close  resem- 
blance to  the  pure  articles.  It  was  learned  that  the  production  of 
these  goods  was  the  result  of  numerous  experiments,  and  subse- 
quent investigation  succeeded  in  bringing  to  light  a  branch  of 
manufacturing  industry  of  no  small  magnitude,  which  has  for  its 
sole  object  the  production  of  articles  known  to  the  trade  as  "spice 
mixtures."  The  manufacture  of  these  articles  is  conducted  in  a 
large  steam  bakery  in  Philadelphia.  Samples  of  the  materials  used 
have  been  secured  from  time  to  time,  and  these  are  presented  with 
this  paper. 
The  substance  which  forms  the  base  for  all  these  mixtures,  and 
which  is  designated  in  the  sample  as  "  meal,"  was  found  on  inquiry 
among  several  millers  to  be  a  very  low  grade  of  wheat. 
It  is  not  known  to  them  by  any  special  name,  but  might  be  called 
"  blow-room  stuff."  It  is  a  little  better  than  feed,  to  which  it  is 
sometimes  added  to  improve  the  quality,  but  is  a  lower  grade  than 
middlings.  Samples  from  lots  which  had  been  delivered  to  the 
bakery  at  different-times  were  identical. 
The  meal  is  made  into  a  dough  with  water,  rolled  out  and  cut  in 
the  same  manner  as  soda  crackers,  and  baked  in  an  oven. 
These  crackers  or  "  biscuits,"  as  they  are  termed,  are  then 
allowed  to  dry  thoroughly  when  they  are  ready  for  grinding. 
The  different  shades  are  obtained  by  the  use  of  coloring  mat- 
ters which  are  mixed  with  the  meal  when  it  is  being  made  into 
dough. 
The  "white"  biscuit  is  made  from  the  plain  meal  without  color- 
ing. The  "yellow"  is  made  with  the  aid  of  turmeric,  a  little  of 
which  goes  a  great  way  in  imparting  a  rich  yellow  hue,  such  as  is 
peculiar  to  mustard. 
A  sample  of  the  coloring  matter  used  in  the  "brown"  biscuits  is 
also  presented.  An  analysis  shows  this  to  be  a  mixture  of  about 
equal  parts  of  Spanish  brown  and  turmeric. 
