250 THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD PRODUCTS. 
BACTERIA IN THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 
A brief mention should be made of the relation of bacteria to the 
sugar industry, which is an important phase of agriculture. The 
relation of microorganisms to this industry is, according to our 
present knowledge, only one of injury. After the product has been 
harvested, bacteria may produce subsequent injury within it, giving 
rise to well-known troubles. One source of trouble experienced in 
sugar-making consists in the appearance, at various stages of manu- 
facture, of jelly-like masses which may become very abundant and 
troublesome. This has long been known and has been studied by 
bacteriologists for many years, with the result of proving that it is 
caused by the appearance and development of certain species of bac- 
teria. Several species are known and have been carefully studied, 
all of which have the power of producing a slimy section which gives 
rise to the jelly-like masses in the sugar product. The slimy secre- 
tion appears to be developed from the sugar, a conclusion proved 
by the fact that the same microorganism, when growing out of con- 
tact with sugar, develops no slime. A second trouble is in the loss 
of sugar by inversion. This occurs in unrefined sugar during stor- 
age or transportation, and is due to a bacterium that has been 
isolated and tested. 
