56 SUGAR 



insoluble sulphites. The resulting juice, being now 

 acid, is bright in colour, but in order to maintain this 

 colour up to the time of crystallization it is necessary 

 to keep it rather on the acid side of neutrality. If 

 there is any fear of alkalinity, phosphoric acid is used 

 in the defecator, which precipitates any excess of lime. 

 Of course, great skill and experience is necessary in 

 carrying out this special process for the purpose of 

 producing bright yellow crystallized sugar, first by 

 maintaining the bright colour of the juice and, secondly, 

 by avoiding the danger of " inversion " in its slightly 

 acid state. When all precautions are properly taken 

 the result is a bright yellow sugar which fetches a fancy 

 price ; but if not, the product will be a dingy yellow 

 or even grey sugar, and will not be a success in the 

 market. When there is a poor demand for yellow sugar 

 the factory goes back to the ordinary defecation process 

 and makes " refining centrifugals " for sale to refiners. 

 The cost of production is less, and the yield of sugar 

 is generally rather better and there is always a market. 

 In some factories it appears that the treatment of the 

 cold juice with the acid precedes the liming of the juice, 

 apparently a still more dangerous process. It is said 

 that yellow crystals are more difficult to produce now 

 that more powerful mills produce a juice of less purity. 

 We now turn to the clarification and defecation of 

 the beetroot juice, and must enter on a brief review 

 of the processes which led up to the present perfected 

 system of what is called " carbonatation." The juice 

 of beetroot, like that of cane, contains certain impurities 

 which have to be removed before the juice is fit for 

 filtration, evaporation and, finally, crystallization. 

 Fortunately it contains no glucose and, therefore, there 

 is no creation of those inconvenient and injurious 

 organic acids which are produced in cane juice when 



