536 
Chicory  and  Coffee. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  December,  1913. 
In  the  light  of  our  present  knowledge  it  is  extremely  unlikely 
that  any  specific  tests  for  the  positive  identification  of  chicory  in 
coffee  in  the  prepared  decoction  can  be  devised,  as  no  soluble  con- 
stituents are  present  in  roasted  chicory  which  are  not  likely  to  be 
present  in  roasted  coffee.  It  is  possible,  however,  to  prove  adultera- 
tion by  inferential  tests,  even  when  the  actual  nature  of  the  adul- 
terant is  not  capable  of  positive  identification,  as  is  seen  in  numerous 
cases  in  which  cider  vinegar  is  alleged  to  be  "  adulterated  by  the 
addition  of  some  unknown  substance  high  in  reducing  sugars,"  and 
in  which  the  cases  have  been  successfully  sustained  in  court  and  the 
offenders  convicted. 
Such  an  opportunity  for  inferential  proof  of  adulteration  exists  as 
regards  coffee  and  chicory  in  the  prepared  decoction. 
A  number  of  samples  of  roasted  coffee  of  authentic  origin  were 
obtained,  covering  all  of  the  important  commercial  varieties.  In 
these  samples  were  determined,  first,  the  amount  of  extractive,  and 
second,  the  percentage  of  reducing  sugars  calculated  in  the  extractive 
previously  determined.  The  amount  of  extractive  matter  alone  is 
inconclusive,  of  course,  as  no*  knowledge  is  usually  obtainable  concern- 
ing the  ratio  of  ground  coffee  in  the  decoction.  When,  however,  we 
come  to  consider  the  ratio  of  the  extractive  to  the  reducing  sugars, 
we  find  that  a  very  sharp  line  of  demarcation  exists  by  which  it  is 
possible  to  conclusively  prove  the  presence  of  as  small  an  amount  as 
5  per  cent,  of  chicory  in  the  ground  coffee,  and  experience  has  shown 
by  the  examination  of  ground  samples  that  smaller  amounts  than  this 
are  not  likely  to  be  used. 
The  results  of  the  examination  of  the  genuine  coffees  are  as 
follows : 
Per  cent,  of 
Per  cent,  of  reducing 
No. 
extractive 
sugars  in  extractive 
i    Java  (roasted)  
  1.58 
I.92 
  I.64 
1-95 
  I.98 
2.17 
  I-70 
2.04 
  172 
2.47 
  2.l6 
2.64 
  i-94 
2.23 
2.57 
2.65 
 2.16 
2.64 
Minimum   
  1.40 
  179 
2.29 
