The organism splits glucose, but not lactose or saccharose. That
it possesses the power of splitting muscle sugar was shown by the
formation of gas in Smith fermentation tubes containing ordinary
neutral bouillon without the addition of any sugar.
The formation of gas in glucose bouillon varies considerably with
the reaction of the medium. The largest amount of gas was formed
when the broth was neutral or slightly alkaline. When the reaction
of the broth was distinctly acid or distinctly alkaline the amount
of gas was diminished. The gas which is formed in bouillon cultures
consists chiefly of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. In order to collect a
sufficient amount of the gas for analysis, two large fermentation tubes
capable of holding 150 cubic centimeters each were constructed. These
tubes were filled with pork-bouillon and inoculated with the bacillus.
After 20 days at room temperature (20° to 25° C.) the gas was collected
and the carbon dioxide and hydrogen determined, with the following
result:
Cubic centimeters.
Total amount of gas collected 37.7
Carbon dioxide, by absorption with NaOH 6.2
Hydrogen, by difference 31.5
This analysis gives an approximate gas formula of H/CO₂ = 5/1, which
agrees with the gas formula as determined in the small fermentation
tubes by Smith’s method.
In hams which had undergone spontaneous souring and in hams which had
been artificially soured by inoculation, hydrogen-sulphid was often
noted when the sour portions of the meat were tested with lead-acetate
paper, but no distinct odor of the gas could be obtained. Hydrogen
sulphid was also noted in egg-pork cultures of the bacillus.