The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-10-01
uNWH0LESoME Fo0D4A dHIEAlc-
Az ANALYSIS OF TEA, SUGAR,

UNWHOLES0AE FO0D-A CHEAIC
AL ANALYSIS OF TEA, SUGAR,
AND COFFEE
National (Washington) Republican, August H. J
The members Of the Board Of Health,
after a fortnights suspension of business,
resumed their labors last evening, and
held a special meeting at their rooms,
Professor John NJ. Langston (president
nro fem. in the chair. 4 DR.. Yer
di said that he had taken great interest
personally in thesubject of unwholesome
food, and the remarks that he should
make on the subject were merely for the
purpose of furnishing information TO the
members. He had employed the seryi-
ces of competent chemist 10 make AM
ANALYSIS off few articles Of food, but the
names of the owners thereof he should
reserve TO himself and also wished IL th-
derstood that this examination had nOth1
ing to do with that ordered by the board,
The following is the report submitted by
Demetry Mendelef, who made chem
ical and mcroscOpical examination of
nineteen specimens of tea, sugar, and
coffee. na . Im u.a"aI - 1-.1H /
.F ...r.y.Yr GREEN TEA. .Irr-lI /
No. /. retail price, $l,45 per pound
No. s, retail price, $l.75 per pound, Both
the above articles are sold under. the
name of gunpowder tea, and in appear
ance they are of blush gray, very uni
form in color and in the shape of their
plobular grain. Soaked in cold water for
about two hours, the loss in weight was
found to be "a per cent, and after filtra-
ton through muslin the filtrate showed
a green color and slightly SOUR reaction,
depositing considerable of blush gray
SEDIMENT after lapse of only few sec
onds.
tu Nosy 2 and q, retailedat 81 "a per pound
called iHperial tear Result of chemical
examination proved the same as in the
above gunpowder teas Every one of the
four specimens has the same flavor of
cumarin, which is found in the plants iof
udipterix odorata" and "anthoxantum
odoratum," so that it is presumable that
these teas have been perfumed with ex-
tracts of the above mentioned chmarin !;
the color of the filtrate being green, and
as the corephyl of fresh and Of dry leaves
which gives the green color to plants is
not soluble in water; the conclusion has
been reached that the water extract Of
these teas is colored by some substance,
and especially for that purpose. ''u
BLACK TEA, rIff- /
Nos. 8 and 7, retailed at S5 cents and ST.
rs per pound, and known as Oolong black
tea; Soaked as in the above; but the fill
trate showed red color and there was
no sediment visible. Taste bitters re-
action slightly sour. ~.'h -fan |
Nos. 4 and s, Oolong, retailed at 30
cents per pound; Nearly same loss in
weight water extract OF a darklsh red
color; no sediment; reaction slightly
sour; very bitter taste. y.l =.
In continuance of my examination, /
have taken five grammes Of the above
eight specimens of tea, each separately,
and making infusions of warm water TO-
which were added a few drops of nitric
acid, | have passeda a stream of sulphura-
ted hydrogen through all of them, in or
der to detect the possible presence Of cop
per or lead. a..I
Nos. / and 5 (gunpowder), 2 and Jim
perial), formed again blush gray sedi-
ment. Nos. 8, 7, 4, and 8, (black 0olong)
gave no sediment. The green tea infu-
sion now also gave red cOlor-a conse-
ouence of the nitric acid treatment. Con-
clusion: No copper or lead discovered,
THIRD OPERATION uJ
Made extracts of every separate speci-