Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-19
Tuesday. February 10, 1884.
A SPICY BREBZE,

Boston chemist who has spent the last
few months in the analysis of samples of
groceries" has made public some informa-
ton concerning the adulteration of certain
| articles which is interesting, though mot en-
couraeing He has paid particular attention
to spices, and those who have lamented that
spices are not what they used to be will not
wonder at the deterioration in their quality
after reading his explanation.
Until recently it had been usual to find in
spices starch, -four, ground rice and other
such substances. But il was noticed that
spices grew weaker and weaker, and the cause
was sought. But SO skillfully had the adul-
terators worked that two months of constant
labor failed to reveal the nature Of the foreign
substance. One day the resemblance between
some charred pieces of powdered cocoanut
shell and pepper was noticed, and, upon SUBJ
nitting the two powders to microscopic ga
animation, they were found to be one and the
same. The matter was quietly investigated,
and it was found that one New York firm had
been constantly buying all the available pea
nut, coooanut, walnut and almond shells,
with which to make its spices. The method
GnCU GA0 bu0Alss &Eklu Gu6n TO d
powder and i'm part the favor by adding the
essential oil of the desired spice, SO that the
microscope alone can detect the nature of the
adulteration. It is difficult to suc-
ceessfully adulterate cayenne pepper.
and formerly red lead, brick dust
and other articles were used for this purpose,
but the style has changed, and in twenty-five
samples lately anaIyzed fine boxwood saw
dust, colored red was found. The most
plausible adulterated pepper is that COM
posed of pepper from which the active prin-
ciple has been drawn, and which is favored
by small portion of the essential oil taken
from it. Samples of this character have not
been confined to the New York and Boston
markets, for, cut of fifteen taken from the
western mining camps where large amount
of pepper is used, only one was found un-
adulterated. One can Of cayenne. pepper
bought in the West had been trifad with in
the manner last mentioned so that the essen
tial oil, not being well mixed with the saw
dust and weakened pepper, had sunk to the
bottom of the can, leaving the upper half
tasteless, while the lower stratum was of
double the ordinary strength of the pure
article.
Cinnamon is not, it is said, SO extensively
adulterated, simply because it is not very
profitable to adulterate it, as it is cheap.
But the ground cinnamon is sometimes
mixed with cassia, which is cheaper,
and the stick cinnamon is sub
jsct to a very small amount of adulteration
in India. When it gets to this country
the active principle is extracted. and the
sticks are then, in many cases, favored anew
with essential oil of cinnamon. One sample
of cloves analysed was found by actual sep
aration to consist of twenty-five per cent.
of exhausted cloves. Ginger is q spice
which, in the exception of the ground state,
had, until recently, suffered comparatively
little at the hands of the adulterators. Since
''rasped" ginger har been put upon the mar
ket, however, the case has been different
Two boxes of ''raspsd" ginger were recently
placed before Boston merchant whose ex-
perience with ginger covers twenty-five
years. and he was asked to give an opinion
as to their comparative quality. He pro-
one to be little better than the
other, but both were considered of fair
quality. The truth of the matter vas that
both boxes were part of the same sample !
divided, and were imitation, being made of
wood shavings which had been stepped in
tincture of ginger. The larger proportion |
of the ground ginger which is sold in pack
age form is found by analysis to consist of |
the exhausted root, which is ground after |
having been used to furnish the tincture |
known As Jamaica ginger. So eagerly is this |
root sought after by the spice |
mills, that large yearly contracts with the |
Jamaica ginger manufacturing firms are
made for the exhausted root ginger.
It seems that there are factories in New |
York where the stuff with which spices are |
adulterated can be easily obtained. A letter
from Boston grocer to a firm engaged in
the business of making tspice mixtures"
brought reply, of which the following is
part: ''In compliance with your request, we
send you this day, per express, package OF
samples, and quote you prices as follows
Pepper mixture, 2 Ia cents per pound; gin
ger, 2 cents per pound; cinnamon, cents
per pound; allspice, Ia cents per pound;
cloves IA cents per pound; cayenne, 3 Ii
cents per pound; white pepper, 8 cents per
pound" Cheap enough.
This is all very melancholy, though it is q
little comfort to reflsct that our spices, as
appears from the above, are not poisoned
We suppose that if poison of the right kind
were cheap enough they would be.