Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-16
FRUIT MYSTERY L V
MR.. HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 16.-
Fruit flavors may soon be obtained
from the laboratory as readily as
from the orchard. Not long ago,
Government chemists succeeded in
isolating the elusive chemical sub
stances that give the apple its distinc-
tive taste and odor Once the scien-
lists had analysed the flavor it was
a comparatively simple matter Tor
them to reproduce it, using exactly
the chemicals that the apple flavor
contains.
The odorous constituents of the
peach have also been identltled IN
the Government laboratories, but II
is reported that it is impossible 70
reproduce a peach flavor which Will
retain its odor.
Thus one more mystery OF nature
why an apple tastes Inherently
from a peach or a pearls being
persistently ~unraveled by science.
Isolating the flavor of the apple mas
proved a tedious, expensive, and dlf-
ficult proposition. With all the Ia
~cilities of a modern laboratory at
their disposal, the scientists spent
months of exacting research before
the solution to their problem was
reached.
There are innumerable synthetic
fruit juices on the market. Manu-
~facturers ordinarily mix together
various chemicals that produce !
vors until they find a combination
that is reminiscent of a certain fruit.
AS analysis of fruit flavors is a new
practice, often the ingredients in
these rule % thumb drinks are not
those found in real fruit at all, and
until Bureau of Chemistry expert
ments no flavor had been reproduc-
ed the constituents of which were
Identical in kind and quantity with
the natural fruit flavor.
Imitation orange and grape juices
are found on the market which prob
ably more closely resemble fruit
Juice than any other imitation fruit
beverages. As apple flavor has never
been initiated with any degree of ac-
curacy, the Governments first ex-
pertinent along this line has been re-
garded with special interest.
Tons OF Apples Peeled
DR.. F. b. Power, of tine Bureau
of Chemistry, paid no attention to
the chemicals that have been tried in
| synthetic drinks. He started at the
! other end and began studying ap-
pies. Barrels of Ben Davis, McIn-
tosh, and crab apples from the Gov
eminent experiment farm We're
brought into the laboratory AS
flavor is closely connected with edor,
and as apple odor is strongest in the
peeling, the scientists peeled literally
tons of apples to obtain material for
their work.
To isolate the chemical substances
which are flavor producing is a COM
plex matter. There are a number of
organic acids in any fruit, and some
of the chemical elements, such as
sugar and pectin, have nc
relation to flavor at all. Moreover
the amounts of the flavor produc-
ing substances in an apple are min
ute. But at the end of a year the
chemists produced what they call "a
synthetic preparation which poss-
esses in a high degree the character.
istic aroma of the choicest ripe ap-
pies"
This apple oil is highly volatile. Il
can not be used in any preparation
which is to be cooked or heated, as
1t would go off in vapor. It can
however, be added to preparations
already cooked, and the Government
has found it particularly practicable
for ice cream and cold drinks.
This method of making the syn
thetic apple oil has been patented by
the Government as a public patent
which means that any one can use
the idea. A manufacturing firm in
New York is the first commercial or
g%anization to take advantage of this
piece of Government research.
In its pure state a chemical is the
same everywhere, and consequently
the Governments formula produces
the same thing that is in the apple
Nevertheless, laboratory products Of
this sort are synthetic and not nat
ural since they are not derived from
the fruit itself. A beverage made
from the laboratory apple oil has thu
aroma, taste, and appearance of thu
fruit juice but II lacks other chem
ical substances which so into frui
juice. The orange, for instance, con
tains vitamines in large quantities
and it and other fruits contain in
gradients of high food value which
: would not necessarily be found in tn
elements contained in the imitation.
Il, A Aynthetie heysragse ~cQntainlGI
w. 81 HAIN rE