Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-02-27
"ADULTERATED SPICES.
Pepper Clovea. Ginger. and Mustard Al
Ooetored for Gain.

A&AV1A AZ "a xASo
Pepper. Cloves. Ginger. and Mustard Al
Doetored for Gain.
The greater part of the spices. sold
IN this city are adulterated. Adultera.
ton has become an art in which the
knowledge of science and the ingenuity
Of trade are freely exercised. Pure
spices are debased for pecuniary profit
BY adding to them inferior or spurious
articles, or by taking from them one
or more of their constituents. The
objects Of adulteration are to increase
the bulk or weight of the article. to
improve its appearance, to give it q
false strength, and to rob it of its most
valuable constituents. The practice
has grown With the competition of
trade. and in spite of severe laws pro-
hibi,iug it.
People know so little about spice
that 1t Il be adulterated with very
slight chance of discovery. An expert,
however. can tell it at once. The head
Of the spice department Of a grocery
firm in this city. says the New York
san, said:
10 be sure OF authorization. Que
needs only to look at the price-lists
Issued BY firms which sell spices. The
price of q ground spice is often less
than that of tho unground article.
VII Oh is absurd on its face. Unground
pepper u not he sold for less than IA
cents q pound. and yet We find ground
pepper offered for 5 and 6 cents a
pound. Ground ginger is offered at 5
cents II pound, while the unxround is 3
cents This means that the grounu
spice has been heavily adulterated with
sOme cheap material Some trims 20
SO far Us to advertise adulterated
goods, and evade the law by calling
them compounds
'Biack pepper is adulterated with a
substance called pepper dust. made
from cocoanut shells. and also with
buckwheat bulls, charcoal. white meal.
and mustard bran. Cocoanut shells.
when ground up very fine. are used very
generally AS an adulterant of spices, rs
there is nc taste to interfere with the
flavor Of the spice. Buckwheat hulls.
otherwise worthless. are a source of
profit to mil!ers, as they sire worth q
ent g pound for adulteratiug pur-
poses. The charcoal gives 4 black APP
pearance to the pepper"
The informant put 4 sample of the
best Malaga pepper beside q poor
quality Of black pepper. The Malaga
pepper could readily b. distinguished
because OF its lighter color. Mr.. Mil
Ter mixed some white meal with the
common pepper and it became SO like
the best pepper that i. could hardly be
told apart.
You scc." he said, 'that l have not
only adultered the pepper. but 1 have,
to ali appearances. improved its
quality"
White pepper is Adultcrated with
white meal, terra alba, and rice dour.
Terra alba is tine marble dust, und
enormous quantities are exported from
Italy for purposes Of adulteration.
Gypsum, sand, starch, mustard, husks,
and various kinds OF meal are also used
for adulsera,ing pepper. but no: to SO
great an exten! as the things l i have
mentioned. Cayenne pepper is adul'
terated with white meal, Venetian red,
and salt, the three icing ground TO-
gethcr. The salt gives a brighter colo,
to the red. which IS itself q poisonous
article. This doctoring is praclicod on
African pepper, n dull red pepper,
worth only 8 cents y pound. in order
to bring II up to the brilliant color o,
Natal pepper. worth 80 Gents u pound.
Tho f%raudUlens arlicie can be detected
by placing Il small quantity Oh Il snee'
OF whi.o paper and rubbing it with the
finger. Ine Venetian red will make
red marks OF the paper.
Ginger Is Mdu!lera,cd w!,n meal
rice flour. starcn. cayenne pepper. ant
manila rope. q niger root has :. vcr,
hE.. huir~like !iucr running through IL
and this is found in The ground article
Country peopIe will uot buy j. unles!
they gee tine ~iu.rs, and bits Of muni!.
rope are used 10 take their place in the
false article. The cayenne peppe,
makes ihe taste s!Hurper. 4 drop o
ammonia will expose this COMPOUND
BY turning !. :eu. Chrome yellow.
poisonous substance, is sometime!
used for coioriEg.
Gloves. worth ~ cents q pound. arr
aduitcrated with clo1e-stc,ns worth
cents q pound. These c!oye-stems ar
the littlo green ,~iSs from which I'll,
cloves are plucked. Cloves are a!st
adultered With pepperdust, and al
spice is also treated IL the III way.
Considerable ingenuity is shown /.
a~duItcrating cinnamon and nutmeg
Cd crackers OF four are baked brow,
in an oven and ground up tine. an.
this ia n,ix"d with The ground CHINA
MOI and nutmeg. In adultera,in|
mare Venetian red Is mixed with ,h'
cracker dust.
Mustard is a;iul;erated with sag
6our, starch, rice hour. and whea
tour, and colored with aniline color
;nys. The fraud car readily be de
:ected, as the compound becomes blu
when treated with q solution vi Iodine
The common German and French mus
tard is made up OF . compound Q
mustard. cracker dust, and cayenn
pepper. and is favored with sugar, oil
and vinegar 10 suit the taste.
another method Of abusing Glove
is by extracting tlsir essential oils
This is done in Europe by boiling them
and in this country IS pressing out to
OIL"