Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-07-21
How Flavoring Extracts are Made.

''There is mighty little genuine fruit
extract in the sirups and flavors of COM
merce," the chemist of a manufactur-
ing house said. pushing aside glass jars,
stralners and retOrts, so as to make a
clear space for some of his books of
formulas. 6 Natural davors are both
weak and costly. For instance, if you
sugar down pineapples or strawberries
you get delightful natural strip, but
your white sugar alone will cost you
eighty cents gallon, and the fruit is ex-
| pensive, as you know. The flavor is
just at its proper strength and will not
! go great ways in f1avoring additions
to the strip; and so only small por-
ton of the fruit sirups and essences of
commerce have any fruit about them.
Smell this.''
He unstopped vial of thin, transpar-
ent liquid. 1t diffused strong pineap-
pie odor OF Irritating pungency.
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 etallow oil which
is the basis of artificial butter will fur
nish it. Another prominent ingredient
of artificial havors is amyle, which you
will know better by the name of fusel
oil. Some one of its compounds 90
into the manufacture of the flavors of
pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, april
cot, pear, orange and apple. Com
pounds of methyl, an extract of
coal tar, are also much used.
Succinic acid, obtained from am
Der; sebacic acid, extracted
from fat; and benzoic acid, originally
extracted from a vegetable resin, but
now made from naphthaline, coal-oil
product, are also much used in various
shapes. Formic acid, another ingredi-
ent, was originally derived from ants,
and hence its name is derived from the
Latin word for ant, f0rnaica. But it is
now manufactured artificially. Chloro-
form goes into some favors, notably
grape essence, and oxalic acid goes into
the bloom of gooseberry, apricot, lemon
and apple. Tartaric acid is also largely
used. Most of these substances are used
in the form of others, and their strength |
of odor is due to their exceeding volatil- |
ity.' ss
care not such compounds injuri-
ous?"
"Not when used simply for flavoring
purposes" was the answer. The |
reason why they may be used to initiate |
natural fl ivors with such success i, |
doubtless due to the fact that the favors
of the natural fruits are due to their |
presence. Butvric acid is naturally |
present in the pineapple, tartaric acid in
wine, citric acid in lemons, and oxalic |
acid in gooseberries. While artificial |
favors or essences would be poisonous,
taken in large quantities, it does not fol- |
low that their use as flavors is injurious
any more than that almonds should not |
be eaten because their concentrated ex-
tract is poisonous. As matter of fact |
soda water flavors and candy tlavOrs are |
almost invariably artificial, and the bou-
quet and flavor of many bottle of wine |
is due to the various amylic or fusil oil
others.
81 remember" he continued, "see-
ing some time ago an anecdote about a |
French wineseler, who said to his son:
s'AlwayS remember, my son, that wine |
may be made out of anything, even
grape juice.'' have thought the same !
thing often when have drunk the sweet |
cider of commerce. Of course there is I
a sweet cider that is made from apple |
juice and it may be kept from getting |
hard by the addition of bisulphite of |
lime. But there are immense quantities |
of sweet cider sold that are perfectly in
nocent of apple-juice, and there are
plenty of receipts for making it. Peo-
pie that know what good apple cider is
are not likely to drink much of the man.
ufactured cider, and if they did it would |
not hurt them, although should not like
to drink cider made from this receipt.'
The chemist showed the reporter a
trade receipt for cider, which called for
honey, catechu Gan astringent rosin),
alum, yeast, bitter almonds, cloves,
burnt sugar and alcohol. The receipt
adds: elf too sweet, add sulphuric acid
to suit the taste.''
"Sulphuric acid" he said, sis not
healthful article of diet; but, as 1 said
before, thing may be perfectly inno-
cent in diluted shape and in very
small quantity that would be hurtful in
a concentrated form. Odd, isn't it,
that delicate flowers and perfumes
should come from the refuse of the alb
battoir and the coal oil distillery? But
a great many pleasant things have
humble origin -NeW York San.
The s'CrOwlin' Ferlies."