Vol. VII. No. 153. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



67 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Muscovado Molasses. 



In a report rcceuti}' prespiited to the Barbados 

 ■General Awriuultural Society by a Committee 

 appointed to investigate the causes of souring in 

 molasses, the fullowiiig valuable information is 

 given : — 



From the results of a very thorough examination still 

 'j-oing on at the rioverniuent Laboratory, the souring of 

 molasses is concluded to be due chiefly to the [n-oduction of 

 acetic acid. This acid is produced in two stages. In the 

 first stage alcohol is produced by the action of certain yeasts 

 on some of the sugar of the molasses ; in the second stage 

 some of the alcohol is converted by a bacterium into acetic 

 acid. The acetic acid then reacts upon certain substances in 

 the molasses to liberate a ja-oportioii of other and unpleasant 

 tasting acids to which the Jiavour i.". due. ^For the production 

 of the alcohol from the sugar, otlier substances besides sugar 

 must be present, and l)oth the production of alcohol from 

 suu'ar, and the production of the acetic acid from the ah'ohol 

 may be prevented or delayed by the jiresence oi certain sub- 

 stances in molasses wliose nature is not understood. 



It would appear that in muscovado molasses as 

 ordinarily made, these last Uientioned inhibitory substances 

 are comparatively plentiful, while if the ordinary method of 

 manufacture be de\iated from, the i^mount of these 

 substances may be insutticient to prc^-erve the molasses 

 under the ordinary conditions of handling. 



Under the ordinary conditions of manufacture and 

 liandling, a certain number of the acidifying organisms must 

 tret in • but if the molasses is of the right composition, the 

 .souring will be shiw or so slight as to be uniioticed. If the 

 molasses is not of the right composition the souring will take 

 place rapidly. 



On the other hand, even with molasses o^■ the right 

 composition, if unusual contamination takes jjla^e as the 

 result of want of cleanliness in the boiling house or pun- 

 cheons, or through a<bnixture with germ-laden molasses in 

 .town or in shi[)ment, souring will take place. 



From the above it will be noted that for fermentaiion 

 and souring to take place, either the molasses must have an 

 nnusiral composition, or the organisms (yeasts and bacteria) 

 must Vie [iresent in unusual quantities. 



These facts supply the key to the problem as to how to 

 iireserve molasses. The answer is to keep the molasses of the 

 ordinary muscovado composition so that it resists to a certain 

 extent the attacks of the organisms, and to prevent as far as 

 |i()ssible the presence of the organisms. 



The first is accomplished by tempering and boiling the 

 liciuorin the ordinary way, particularly avoiding boiling too 

 low. The second condition is attained by cleanliness and 

 -care in the handling of the molasses. 



The points to l.e specially noted are : — 



(1) Temper and b'.il the juice in tlie ordinary way an 1 

 <lo not boil too low. 



(2) Do not mix syruii with molasses. 



(3) P>e careful of the cleanliness of the gutters or pipes 

 leading to the oscillators or coolers and from them to the 

 centrifugals, and from the centrifugals to the molasses 

 cistern. Avoid closed pi[)es as far as possible, as o;ic cannot 

 see inside them. 



(4) Be careful i>f the cleanliness of the curing boxes 

 when such are used. They ought periodically to be 

 thoroughly cleaned and finally sterilized with a steam jet 

 if possible, or rinsed with bisulphite of soda solution ; or 

 failing that, with weak milk of lime, and then dried with dry 

 liags that have been washed. 



(5) Be scrupulously careful about the condition of the 

 molasses cistern and as far as possible of the stancheon. 

 Avoid water leaks of all descriptions. If a cement cistern 

 cracks, peck uii the bottom all round the crack and replace 

 with fresh, sound cement, etc. Clean out the molasses cistern 

 as often as ])ossible. Finish off with bisul[iliite of soda 

 or milk of lime, and dry afterwards. 



(6) Avoid second-hand puncheons or .shooks, as they 

 \\i\\ probably be impregnated with the germs of fermentation. 



(7) Fay great attention to the rinsing out of the 

 jiuncheon before it is tilled. It should be fiist drained, then 

 rinsed out thoroughly with ordinary clean water. The best 

 way of finishing the cleansing is to play on the interior with 

 a steam jet and then drain or rinse out with boiling v/ater, and 

 drain. Failing these, rinse out finally with bisulphite of soda 

 or thin milk of lime, and drain. 



(8) If possible, it is desirable that out rods and sampling 

 instruments should always be washed between one puncheon 

 and the next. It is suggested that the ordinary out rods 

 might be copied locally in pine so that each guager has 50 or 

 100 to woi-k with, enabling them to be washed in batches. 



(9) Filling up one puncheon from another and ' running ' 

 ai-e undesirable wherever they can be avoided ; chiefly because 

 of tlie risk of infecting a good molasses with a bad one. 



Sugar Industry in British Guiana. 



Tiie Annual Report (1906-7) on British Guiana 

 makes the following reference to the sugar industry of 

 the colony : — 



The sugar crop for export amounted to 114,951 tons, 

 as against 110,550 tons for the previous year. The total 

 area in canes at the end of .March, exclusive of land cultivated 

 by cane farmers, was 74,426, as compared with 72,390 at 

 the close of the previous year. 



Work on the exiierimental cane cultivation at the 

 Botanic Gardens under the charge of the Board of Agri- 

 cultiu'e continued during the year. Cultivation of the new 

 varieties of canes on the sugar estates of the colony received 

 Siill greater attention on the part of the planters generally, 

 anil the area occupied by these experiments increased from 

 20,0(iO acres in the previous year to 27,500 acres. Practically 

 all the sugar estates of the colony continue to take part iu 

 this work. 



The usu;il consolidated returns of the results of the 

 experiments on the sugar estates undertaken on a manu- 

 facturing scale were published during the year. These 

 returns indicate that a steady advance is maintained, and 

 tliat new varieties produce I in the colony and in Barbado.s, 

 not only exceefl the standard variety in yield of sugar per 

 acre, but show greater resistance to drought and disease. 

 These large scale exiieriments are being co itinually increased. 



