154  Standards  for  Flavoring  Extracts.  {Amjf££l'my;rm' 
and  is  not  easily  miscible  with  other  substances.  The  "  soluble  " 
extracts  are  now  made  from  the  so-called  "  concentrated  "  or  "  sol- 
uble "  or  "  terpeneless  "  oils  of  lemon,  which  vary  widely  in  all  their 
qualities,  and  need  to  be  toned  with  lemon-peel,  unless  of  the  best 
grade.  Citral,  the  chief  but  not  sole  flavoring  principle  of  the  oil, 
is  employed  largely,  but  mainly  in  the  cheaper  grades,  because  its 
coarseness  is  not  easily  covered.  The  cheaper  extracts  are  further 
toned  with  the  heavy  oils  of  lemon-grass  or  of  limes,  strong  both  in 
flavor  and  odor.  Unless  lemon-peel  is  used,  the  extract  must  be 
colored.  The  possible  combinations  are  legion,  and  none  of  these 
bodies  are  injurious  in  the  quantities  in  which  they  are  employed, 
with  the  possible  exception  of  the  coloring  matters,  and  here  the 
danger  is  remote. 
Orange  extracts  correspond  to  lemon  in  composition  and  quali- 
ties, and  are  quite  as  inconstant.  Other  flavors,  being  less  used, 
are  in  diminished  variety,  but  similar  opportunities  for  modifica- 
tions exist,  and  are  utilized  according  to  demands. 
Formulas  are  scarcely  necessary,  at  least  to  one  moderately 
familiar  with  what  is  being  employed  as  ingredients  of  the  various 
flavors.  Formulas  designated  as  "  standard  "  may,  in  fact,  be  mis- 
leading or  detrimental  to  the  man  in  business.  Does  the  pharma- 
cist or  manufacturer  wish  to  build  up  a  business  in  flavoring 
extracts?  If  he  seeks  the  trade  of  the  large  user  he  must  become 
acquainted  with  the  desires  and  ideas  of  the  buyer.  If  he  aims  to 
supply  the  kitchens,  let  him  go  to  the  meat  markets  and  provision 
dealers  of  his  prospective  customers  and  learn  what  cuts  of  meat 
are  most  in  demand,  and  what  qualities  of  vegetables  and  spices 
are  preferred.  He  will  find  this  information  far  more  reliable  as  a 
cue  to  his  customers'  desires  than  the  opinion  of  the  expert  as  to 
what  is  "  best."  If  he  can  harmonize  his  extracts  with  the  rest  of 
the  table,  his  extracts  will  satisfy. 
The  only  standard  that  can  be  legally  applied  to  flavoring  ex- 
tracts is  that  of  wholesomeness.  The  delicacy,  the  correctness  of 
the  flavor,  and  the  other  qualifications  must  remain  with  the 
desires  of  the  individual. 
Who  is  to  say  that  the  poor  man,  obliged  to  content  himself  with 
cheap  foods  unskilfully  prepared,  crudely  seasoned  and  ungarnished, 
must  use  only  the  more  delicate  and  true  flavors  or  go  without  any  ? 
Or,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  epicure  must  vex  his  cultivated 
palate  with  a  heavy  flavor  because,  forsooth,  it  is  "  standard  ?" 
