CANE SUGAE. 



In 1893 Greg 3 isolated from Jamaican distilleries a fission yeast, Sch. 

 mellacei ; it is very similar to the first observed fission yeast isolated from 

 Kaffir millet beer in Natal ; this has been named Sch. pombe and described by 

 Lindner 4 . 



Peck and Deerr 5 collected yeasts from molasses distilleries in Demerara, 

 Trinidad, Mauritius, Natal, Cuba, Java, and Peru ; all except the last were 

 budding yeasts, very close if net identical with S. vordermanii ; the yeast 

 from Peru was a fission yeast very close to Sch. pombe. 



In Figs. 276 and 277 (see PLATES XXI. and XXII.) are shown the yeasts 

 collected by Peck and Deerr. Fig. 276 shows the yeasts 36 hours old in beer 

 wort, the reference being as to district of origin: 1, Java; 2, a non-sporing 

 yeast from Natal, peculiar for its production of ethereal salts and referred to 

 in the text ; 3, Trinidad ; 4, Natal ; 5, Demerara ; 6, Natal ; 7, Cuba ; 

 8, Mauritius ; 9, Peru. The septum across which the Peruvian yeast divides is 

 not .shown ; division occurs symmetrically at right angles to a longitudinal 

 axis. Fig. 277 shows the same yeasts sporulating, the district of origin 

 being indicated by initial letters ; the sporulation was obtained on gypsum 

 blocks, except for the Peru fission yeast, which was obtained from an old agar 

 beer wort plate culture. 



It may then be said that the production of rum proceeds under the 

 influence of S. vordermanii and Sch. pombe either separately or conjointly, 

 the fission and budding yeasts having been found together in Jamaican 

 distilleries. Of the other Saccharomyces the type represented by S. mali Dudauxi 

 is of interest. This species does not ferment saccharose and it has hence been 

 used by Pellet and Perrault 7 to remove glucose from molasses in analysis; its 

 use on the economic scale has been patented by McGlaschan 9 with the idea of 

 obtaining an increased yield of sugar. 



Wild Yeasts. By this term is meant a yeast other than the one 

 desired in any particular fermentation ; the term has a special significance 

 when used in connection with a pure culture process, i.e., one in which the fer- 

 mentation is intended to be carried on by one specific organism to the exclusion 

 of all others ; in a sense since the presence of yeast in molasses is adventitious, 

 molasses fermentations might be regarded as carried on by wild yeasts. 



Other Organisms connected with Fermentation. 9 



Perisporaceae. This is an extensive order of fungi including amongst others 

 the well-known genera of Aspergillus and Penicillium, both of which are of 

 cosmopolitan distribution ; they have been studied chiefly in connection with 

 their action on grain and wines to which they give an unpleasant flavour. 

 Aspergillus oryzae is of interest as being the organism, to the diastatic action of 

 which is due the saccharification of rice starch in the preparation of the 

 Japanese spirit Saki ; Penicillium glaucum has been connected by Shorey 10 

 with the deterioration of sugars. 



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