The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-28
POINTS ABOUT COFFEE AND TEA.
Chemical Changes Wrought by Milk.
Food VnIut- aduIterants

tOOu AOiuf 4dukteFNnts.
Washington Letter i'm New York Post.
Coffee with milk Is a very different
thing chemically from coffee without
milk" said Prof. Harvey w. Wiley, head
Of the chemistry division of the depart
ment of agriculture, to a caller to-day. 1T
is something more than mere mixture.
A chemical action takes place which all
ters both the milk and the coffee, with
the gelatin compounds which form a large
part Of the milk. But the statement is
frequently made that strong coffee with
out milk in It VIII affect the lining of the
stomach-that the fannie acid Will operate
on II as Il does on the milk. changing the
gelatinous parts Of the tissues into leath-
er. This Is absurd. / mention Ii merely
because some people without any lnowl-
edge OF organic chemistry, and hearing
about the operation of the fannie acid In
coffee, have jumped 20 this hasty and
ridiculous CONCLUSION. The living tissues
OF the stomach are impervious to the ac-
ton of this or any other Of the many
chemical ingredients OF food. Were II 9th
erwise, the acids secreted by the stomach
would act upon il and the stomach would
digest Itself
"Tannin makes gelatin lnsoluble in wa
ter. This is why II preserves leather.
The milk Is broken up and separated, but
AHN minute ltitHefY particles are quite ul-
gestble. They are no longer milk but
they are nutritious food. And at the
same time the fannie acid, having entered
into combination, Is eliminated and the
coffee has lost its bitter taste. What In
true OF coffee IS true of tea They have
similar chemical properties. The addition
of milk IS for the same purpose, and is
followed by the same chemical reaction.
IL Is mistake to imagine that coffee and
tea are purely stmulants. The fact is
that both possess large amounts OF food
properties such as sugars, starch and pro-
teds. Coffee has more than tea, and, as
between the two. II either is harmful Il is
more apt to be tea. Both act upon the
nerves, stimulating them 70 activity. The
harm from too much coffee or tea-drink-
ing comes from the reaction Of the nerves
after the effect of the stmulant has pass
ed away. II the stimulation Is not ex-
cessiye there Is no more harm done than
IN stimulating the stomach with hot wa
ter or food or stimulating the body with
exercise. or the brain with thought or
study.
one of the adulterants OF ground cof-
fee, chcory, is valuable addition to its
food qualities II gives a peculiar flavor
to the coffee and many people who have
become accustomed to the mixture prefer
II TO the pure coffee. There Is more nour-
ishment and less stimulant In 1t, the chic
DRY giving what Is called body to the
drink. In France, It is almost impossible
to get pure coffee, and the majority OF the
people there. If II were served 10 them,
would object to IT.
"Our government inspection OF tea at
the port of entry has almost done away
with the possibility Of adulteratlon When
Il Is occasionally practiced, however two
methods are used. One Is the addition OF
spent leaves These are the grounds OF
tea which have already been used and
from which most Of the strength has been
extracted. Their general physical prop
critics are preserved and when they are
dried they resemble the fresh leaves SUM-
ciently 20 allow of their mixture In moder-
ate quantities with the second grade teas
without detection except by an expert. The
thrifty Chinaman Is the man who works
out this process of adulteration He Is a
great tea-drlnker himself, and he hates
to spend money. BY selling the remains
OF his refreshment he gets his drink al a
much reduced cost. Then there are leaves
OF other plants which resemble tea leaves
and are used TO mix with them, as the will
low, the beech, and the black currant. The
experts in the customs department can
usually detect these The most common
thing done to tea is what Is called facing
This consists of the use of mineral sub
stances, like Prussian blue, indigo, tur-
merle plumbago, gypsum. terra alba, and
soapstone. 70 increase the weight and i'm
prove the color. These are all compara-
lively harmless. But 1t is reported that
arsenic, copper and green vitrlol are
sometimes used. OF course any artificial
increase In the weight reduces the amount
of tea which the purchaser supposes he 10
getting, and Is to that extent fraud. Be
sides. cheap teas are made to resemble
what they are not So the entire practice
Is reprehensible."