BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 



267 



Table 4.- — Ucixnt of fuUl stations for year ended June 30, 1920. 



SUGARS, SUGAR DERIVATIVES, SIRUP. 



The carbohydrate laboratory, which last year became disorganized, 

 owing to the resignation of its director and practically the entire staff, 

 has been reorganized under new leadership and has resumed active 

 cooperation with the industry upon the production and refining of 

 sugar and of sugar sirups. Directions will be issued before the com- 

 ing crushing season for the production, by means of the yeast enz^^me, 

 invertase, of cane sirup that will neither crystallize nor ferment 

 readily. Invertase will be furnished those desiring to try out the 

 method and personal assistance will l)e given to as many producers 

 as possible in the sirup-producing section. 



The work upon the possible use of commercial maltose sirups in 

 candy manufacture has been practically completed. A survey has 

 been made of many of these sirups upon the market for the purpose 

 of developing procedures for their analysis and for other reasons. 



The attempt was made to discover substitutes for cane sugar in tl?'^ 

 canning of fruits and vegetables. Neither glucose nor ninltoso waa 

 found satisfactory because of their influence upon color and flavor. 

 It was, however, possible to use some samples of refiners' sirup in the 

 production of certain canned products. 



The sweet potato, it has been discovered, contains enough of the 

 enzyme, diastase, to convert all of its own starch into sugar and 

 dextrin. Hence it would seem possible to make sirup commercially 

 from sweet potatoes, and work looking to this end is in progress. 



