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Adulteration  of  Olive  Oil. 
Am  Jour  Ptiarm 
July,  1880 
TESTING  OILS. 
Maumsne  found,  says  the  ''Textile  Manufacturer,"  after  experi- 
menting with  all  the  known  methods  for  testing  oils,  the  one  with  sul- 
phuric acid  to  be  the  best. 
This  test  is  made  as  follows: — In  a  graduated  cylinder,  to  hold  150 
cubic  centimeters,  put  50  grams  of  oil,  ascertain  the  temperature  of 
the  same,  and  add  with  a  pipette  10  cubic  gentimeters  sulphuric  acid, 
stir  with  thermometer  for  a  few  minutes,  a 
of  temperature. 
Pure  olive  oil  gives  an  increase  of  42  deg 
50  grms.  Pineseed  oil  give  increase  of 
"    Tallow  oil  " 
"    Ricinus  oil       "  " 
"    Horsefoot  oil    "  " 
"    Oil  of  bitter  almonds  " 
"    Oil  of  sweet      "  " 
^'     *'    Rapeseed  oil  " 
"          Earth  nut  oil 
"    Sesame  oil  " 
Hemp  oil  " 
"     "    Nut  oil  " 
<'     «    Liver  oil  (Raja)  " 
"     "    Cod  (G.  Morrhua) 
"     "    Linseed  oil  " 
— Journ.  Jpp,  Sci.^  Feb.  2,  1880. 
id  note  the  highest  degree 
C. 
Degrees. 
43 
41— 43J 
47 
54 
5^ 
5^ 
58 
67 
68 
98 
101 
102 
102 
103 
THE  ADULTERATION  OF  OLIVE  OIL, 
And  the  various  substitutes  for  it,  have  increased  to  such  an  extent  of 
late  years  that  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences  in  its  last  sittings  had 
under  its  consideration  the  best  practical  means  of  detecting  the  nefa- 
rious traffic.  The  celebrated  chemist,  Dumas,  indicated  some  of  the 
methods  that  can  be  employed.  The  chemical  tests  are  numerous 
enough,  but  cooks,  as  a  rule,  are  wanting  in  the  necessary  knowledge 
to  enable  them  to  apply  them.  A  very  simple  method  is  to  watch  the 
variety  of  shapes  taken  by  different  oils  on  the  surface  of  water  poured 
into  a  saucer.  If  the  oil  is  genuine  olive  oil,  the  drop  will  take  an 
irregular  shape,  like  an  islet  well  indented  and  marked  with  bays  and 
promontories.  If  it  is  the  product  of  the  black  garden  poppy,  the 
form  will  be  at  first  round,  but  quickly  festooning  into  elegant  half 
-circles  round  the  edge.    The  same  result  will  ensue  with  rape  oil,  but 
