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Concluding Remarks

THE success of the whole process of making vinegar by the German or quick method, depends almost entirely upon the free circulation of air throughout the generator. It sometimes happens that the vinegar when it comes from the generator is not perfectly clear and transparent; to remedy this, some manufacturers have two false bottoms to each generator, and have a bed of white sand, fifteen inches deep, upon the lower one. The sand will have to be packed in before the chips are, as follows: first cover the false bottom with flannel to prevent the sand from coming through the holes, then put in a layer of sand five inches deep, cover this with two thicknesses of flannel, and then another layer of sand; repeat this again, and then pack in the chips as already directed. This will produce an article of a fine color, and will pass for a fine wine-vinegar if colored. Persons who are skeptical about this way of making vinegar may test it at a trifling expense on a small scale by experimenting with a keg arranged on the same principle as the generators. Those who desire to go into the business extensively, can have a series of generators, one arranged above the other on the same plan that the barrels are arranged for making wine by our process (see page 144). The generators may be connected from floor to floor by gutta percha tubes, and thus vinegar may be made by passing once through three generators, instead of two or three times through one generator.

Vinegar is very commonly adulterated with sulphuric acid; indeed, it has been proven by analysis that nearly all the vinegar offered for sale at public auction is nothing more than diluted solutions of sulphuric acid, with a small portion of pure vinegar made by the generators, just sufficient to give it a natural odor. Pure vinegar can be manufactured by the use of the generators so very cheap that adulteration seems useless.

The value of vinegar is in proportion of the amount of acetic acid it contains. Many methods of estimating this are in use. The use of vinegar testers, areometers, etc., has been proposed, but the results have never been obtained sufficiently exact, unless performed by persons accustomed to such chemical manipulation.