SUGAR FROM SORGHUM 221 



The relative value of the juice of any sugar-producing 

 plant depends upon the ratio of crystallizable sugar or sucrose 

 to the other sugars or solids which it contains. The great in- 

 feriority of sorghum, as a sucrose-producing plant, as com- 

 pared with the sugar beet, is in the fact that it contains sugars 

 which are not sucrose. These sugars are not crystallizable 

 in the ordinary way. The general term glucose has been ap- 

 plied to them. 



The chief one of these "other sugars" present does not 

 affect the plane of polarized light. Dr. Wiley proposes to call 

 it anoptosej a term wlu'ch signifies a sugar without influence 

 on the polarized ray. 1 



In normal ripe sorghum cane, sucrose and anoptose are 

 probably the only sugars present. If the cane is abnormal or 

 exposed for a time after cutting, or frost-bitten, the sucrose 

 undergoes a transformation. It is converted into invert sugar, 

 which is non-crystallizable. 2 



The expression of available sugar means "the proportion 

 of sugar which can be obtained in a dry crystallized form 

 from the canes. Its amount depends on the percentage of 

 juice extracted from the canes, and the ratio of sucrose to 

 the other bodies in the juice." 3 



The " coefficient of purity" 4 is the ratio per cent, of the total 

 sucrose in a juice to the total solids. Juices having an average 

 "purity coefficient" less than sixty will scarcely prove profit- 

 able for sugar manufacture. They will, however, make good 

 syrup. 



Sorghum has proved to be the most capricious of crops. 

 In the late experiments at Fort Scott, analyses of different 

 canes presented the widest differences, and with such raw 

 material it was found to be impossible, successfully, to manu- 

 facture sugar. 



However, it must not be inferred, from these discouraging 

 analyses, that sorghum is not capable of becoming a good 

 sugar-producing plant. Many samples of cane brought fresh 



1 Bui. No. 3, Chem. Div. Dept. of Agr., p. 15. 



2 Ibid., p. 15. 3 Ibid., p. 20. 

 4 Ibid., p. 21. 



