The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-09
What Thoy Put in Elayors,

extract IN the syrups and tlavors of COM
merce," the chemist of q manufacturing
house said, pushing aside glass jars,
strainers and retorts, 50 as to make n
clear space for some of his books of
formulas. "Natural favors are both
weak and costly. For instance, if you
sugar down pineapples or strawberries
you get delightful natural syrup, but
your white sugar alone will cost you
eighty-eight cents a gallon, and the fruit
is expensive, as You know. The flavor
is just at its proper strength md will
not go great ways III fiavoring additions
to tho syrup; and 50 only small
portion Of the fruit syrups and essences
OF commerce have any fruit about them.
Smell this"
Ho unstopped vial of thin, transpar-
ent liquid. 1t diiltlsed strong pine
apple odor of irritating pungcncy.
"That," he said, "is butyric acid.
Mixed with alcohol, it is the pineapple
oil OF commerce, and it enters into nearly
every flavor manufactured and into most
perfumes. 1t is extracted from rancid
fat. The tallow oil which is the basis
OF artificial butter will furnish it.
Another prominent ingredient of arti-
ficial tiavors is nmylc, which you will
know better by the name of fusel oil.
Some one Of it's compounds go into the
manufacture of the flavors of pineapple,
strawberry, raspberry, apricot, pear,
orange and apple. Compounds of
mcthyl, All extract of coal tar, are also
much used. Snccinic acid, obtained
from amber; scbacic acid, extracted
from fat; md benzoic acid, originally
extracted from Il vegetable resin, but
now made from nnphthaline, coal oil
product, are also much used in various
shapes. Formic acid, another ingredi-
ent, was originally obtained from ants,
and hence its name is derived from the
Latin word for ant, ,foymica. But it is
now manufactured nrtifcially. Chloro-
form goes into some havors, notably
grape essence, and oXulic acid goes into
the bloom OF gooseberry, apricot, lemon
and apple. Tnrtaric acid il also largely
used. Most of these substances arc used
III the form of others, md their strength
of odor is due to their exceeding VOLT
tility."
"Are not such compounds injurious ?"
"Not when used simply for havoring
purposes" was the answer. "The
reason why they may bc used to initiate
natural iinvors with such success is
doubtless due to the fact that the navors
of the natural fruits nro due to their
presence. Butyric acid is naturally
present i'll the pineapple, tnrtaric acid in
WINE, cltrc acid i'll lemons, and oxalic
acid i'll gooseberries. While artificial
iinvors or essences would be poisonous,
taken III large quantities, it does not
| follow that their use as tlavOrs is inilri-
ous any more than that almonds should
not he eaten because their concentrated
extract is poisonous. As matter of
fnct soda water llavors and candy hnvors
are almost invariably artificial, and the
bouquet md flavor of many bottle of
wine is due to the various amylic or fuscl
oil cthers."
"I remember" he continued, "seeing
some time ago an ancctloto about Il
French vino seller, who said to his son
"Always remember, my son, that wine
may be made out of anything, oven
grape Juice" l. have thought the same
thing often when have drunk the sweet
| cider OF commerce. OF course there is
n sweet cider that is made from apple
juice and it may be kept from getting
hard by the addition of bisulphitc of
lime. But there are immense quantities
OF sweet cider sold that are perfectly
innocent of apple juice, and there are
plenty of receipts for making it, People
that know what good apple cider is are
not likely to drink much of the manufac-
tnred cider, and if they did it would not
hurt them, although I could not like to
drink cider made from this receipt
The chemist showed the reporter a
trade receipt for cider, which called for
honey, catcchu (an astringent resin),
alum, yeast, bitter almonds, cloves,
burnt sugar and alcohol. The receipt
adds: eff too sweet, add sulphuric acid
to suit the taste"
"Sulph,ric acid" he said, 'is not a
healthful article of diet; but, rs I said
before, thing may be perfectly innocent
in diluted shape and in very small
quantity that would be hurtful in n con
centrated form. Odd, isn't it, that
| delicate flowers and perfumes should
come from the refuse of the abbattoir
and the coal oil distilIcry? But a great
many pleasant things have humble or
igins.
And-And.