Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-26
ADULTERAT,oN OF SPICES.
Ground Olive Kernels Sent from
Italy to Mix with Pepper.

Italy TO MIX Win Repper.
The men in the wholesale and retail
grocery trade are excited at the discov.
cry of a new adulterant in the market,
says the New York Mail. An offer from
Italy to a responsible house to supply it
with substance called "pepperette" at
a cheap rate. Tor the purpose of mixing
with black and white pepper, thereby
greatly reducing the cost. has led to the
exposure. Good pepper has been recently
quoted In the Liverpool market at
from 81 to 80 cents per pound,
wholesale, or from $500 to $500 per
ton, while the adultersnt has been
offered at s3S or $40 per ton, freight
paid to Liverpool, and ~ per cent. off
for cash. This difference in price fur
nished great temptation, especially when
the adulterant is guaranteed to absorb The
piquancy of the pepper with which 1t is
mixed, and thus defy detection in any Or
binary way. An investigation of the mat
ter has led to the discovery that this new
pepperete is nothing more than ground
| olive kernels. Az the Italian olives are
used In large numbers Tor the making of
| olive or salad OF, the refuse after the oil Is
pressed out has heretofore been found al
most, II not quite valueess. An expert
ment was made with the kernels, and it
was found that when ground they
greatly resembled ground pepper.
IL vas then ascertained that, when
mixed with pepper, the ground olive kerr
nels would so absorb the peculiarities of
| the genuine article that the mixture
could not be detected. BY process the
color OF the adulterating matter can be
made very light. so as to agree with the
shade ofthe whitest of the peppers, also
dark enough for the ordinary black pep-
Der. The manufacturers of the vile stuff
10 their private communications to tire
trade, say that the pepperette isiwar-
ranted TO consist Of a purely vegetable
substance, and to contain nothing dele.
terious, and, consequently, in no way
detrimental to the health. or course,
olive kernels are vegetable, but it is not
az all likely that consumers eli
pepper will feel inclined to sprinkle
ground olive kernels voluntarily over the
food they eat. Many persons use pepper
In ale, especially In cold weather. such
an adu terant would certainly be dele .
rious 10 health If cllnsing to the inner
mucous lining Of the stomach, kidneys
and connecting canals. Autopsies have
already shown that the drinking OF pure
pepper in ale is not healthy for the human
system. How much worse must it be
when the spice Is mixed with 80 vile
substance as ground olive kernels.
But pepper is not the only spice that
has been found TO have authorizations IL
is said that thousands of tons OF burned
and ground oocoanut shells and other for
eign substances have b, en- favored with
essen .ial oils aud then sold tor pure spices.
In fact, it has become a regular business
to manufacture and sch these mpuri-
ties. 1t is only tie high-priSed spices
that are found to be unauthorized. The
analyst of the Massachusetts State Board
OF Health ascertained that out of twenty
eight samples OF black pepper examined,
nineteen were adulterated. and of sixty
samples OF wnite pepper thirty-nine were
foun0 to he m xed.