324 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [October 22, 1870. 
economical to make grape sugar from corn. There are 
several large establishments where this business is now 
extensively prosecuted. The corn is steeped in weak 
soda lye to separate the husk and soften the gluten. It 
is then ground wet and run through revolving sieves, by 
which the husks and gluten are separated. The starch 
flows through long ways and troughs, in which are slats 
against which the solid particles lodge, and thus separate 
from the water. The wash water is run into a large 
cistern, where it can be fermented into weak vinegar. 
The starch is put wet into a mash-tub and treated with 
1 per cent, sulphuric acid in sufficient water for three 
to eight hours. Where it is intended to make sugar the 
whole of the starch is converted, but if syrup is sought 
then some part of the dextrine is left unaltered. The acid 
liquor is neutralized with chalk as before, and evaporated 
in vacuum pans, and after the separation of the gypsum 
is run into barrels and allowed to crystallize. For syrup 
a certain percentage of dextrine is ieft in tjic liquid un¬ 
converted, which helps to keep it from crystallizing, and 
in the manufacture of syrup special care must be ob¬ 
served to neutralize all of the acids. The sugar is some¬ 
times cast into blocks six inches square and dried on 
plaster plates, in a current of dry air, as hot air would 
be apt to discolour it. It has been found that glucose 
can be made from cellulose as well as from starch, but 
the process is too expensive for practice; it is, however, 
interesting from a scientific point of view, and ought to 
be mentioned in this connection. 
Two parts of clean linen shreds are gradually added 
to three parts of sulphuric acid, and they are allowed to 
stand twenty-four hours; the whole is then largely di¬ 
luted, and the sulphuric acid neutralized by carbonate 
of lime or carbonate of baryta. In a similar manner 
any other kind of cellular tissue, as cotton, wood-shav¬ 
ings, paper, etc. can be converted into grape sugar. 
It is a singular fact that, although we can prepare 
grape sugar from cane by the action of acids, no way is 
at present known by which glucose can be reconverted 
into sucrose. It would be a discovery of great import¬ 
ance if we could make cane sugar from glucose, as in 
that event common sugar could be prepared from a 
great variety of refuse matters, and would be largely 
reduced in price. 
There was a time when much grape sugar was manu¬ 
factured in England clandestinely, for the purpose of 
adulterating Muscovado sugar, but this illegitimate 
business was destroyed as soon as the tariff on sugar 
was reduced. The price of cane sugar must be very 
high before manufacturers can afford to make grape 
sugar for its adulteration. 
The starch of potatoes can be converted into glucose 
by digesting for a few horns with parings of the potato. 
This operation is largely practised by German farmers 
in the preparation of food for fattening hogs. The 
starch is rendered more digestible hi this way, and from 
the glucose some of the larger proprietors manufacture 
alcohol, for which they obtain a high price. 
An excellent article of starch sugar can be prepared 
from Indian corn, which will yield alcohol one-eighth 
cheaper and quite as pure as that from cane sugar. As 
by a recent decision of our Courts the manufacturers of 
alcohol and vinegar from this source are not distillers 
within the meaning of the tax levy, the business is not 
hampered by licences, inspections, or stamp duties, and 
has thus a great advantage over ordinary distilleries. 
In some parts of Europe large quantities of grape 
sugar are used to add to wine, but in this country it is 
not so much the wine growers as the brewers who make 
such an extensive use of it as to give rise to its regular 
importation. This can hardly be justified excepting in 
times when the price of barley is very high. 
We find in the Zyinotechnic A ews of St. Louis an inter¬ 
esting article on the uses of starch sugar in the manu¬ 
facture of beer, Rom which we quote the following 
paragraphs:—• 
“ Barley contains on an average 57 per cent, of starch 
and cognate substances. These pass into the wort, 
partly as sugar, partly in the shape of dextrine (gum). 
The relative proportions of these ingredients vary in 
accordance with the method of brewing, but experience 
teaches that, on an average, one bushel of barley yields 
about 12 lb. of sugar and 15 lb. of dextrine. A portion 
of the latter substance is further transformed into sugar 
during fermentation, so that a bushel of barley repre¬ 
sents, on an average, 16 lb. of sugar and 11 lb. of dex¬ 
trine (gum). 
“ Both dextrine (gum) and sugar are equally essential 
to the brewing process. The latter furnishes the alco¬ 
hol, without which no beverage can be called spirituous ; 
while the former constitutes almost the entire extractive 
matter, or body of the beer, which is one of the chief 
distinguishing features between beer and wine. Now it 
is true that all (commercial) starch sugar contains a cer¬ 
tain amount of dextrine,—the more, the poorer the qua¬ 
lity ; but this portion would bo insufficient in case a good 
article was used, while in the contrary case it would be 
paid for at an extravagant rate. 
“ Imported potato sugar of good quality, containing 
some 15 per cent, of dextrine (gum), costs about 12 cents 
per pound at New York. Maize sugar of equal purity 
can be furnished at 8 cents per pound. 20 lb. of either 
article, costing respectively S2'40 and $1 *60, would yield 
16 lb. of fermentable sugar and 3 lb. of dextrine (gum), 
while a bushel of barley will not only yield 16 lb. of 
sugar, but 11 lb. of dextrine or gum besides. Thus, 
starch sugar can be added to beer wort only in small 
quantities, unless when it is desired to impart a vinous 
character to the beer. When the latter object is not in 
view, the best substitute for barley will always be found 
in maize or some other cheap grain. 
“Not so in the manufacture of wine. For this pur¬ 
pose, good starch sugar, containing not exceeding 15 per 
cent, of dextrine, is decidedly preferable to cane sugar. A 
pound of the latter, of the quality suitable for wine manu¬ 
facture, costs at least 15 cents; whereas, as just stated, 
good starch sugar from maize can be sold at 8 cents. 
Now, as 5 lb. of starch sugar are equivalent to 4 lb. of 
cane sugar as regards their yield of alcohol, the balance 
is altogether in favour of maize sugar, to wit:— 
4 lb. cane sugar at 15 cents ... 60 cents. 
5 lb. grape sugar at 8 cents ... 40 cents. 
“ The 15 per cent, of dextrine (gum) contained in the 
maize sugar will (according to the usual proportion of 
sugar added to must) increase the amount of 4 extract’ in 
wine only by a few per cent., and will tend to give it the 
‘ mouthly’ taste (body) which in meagre wines, already 
fermented, is sought to be produced by the addition of 
glycerine. 
“ Enormous quantities of cane sugar are already being 
consumed in the wine manufacture in this country; so 
that even as a consideration of national economy it is 
highly important to supply in maize sugar a partial sub¬ 
stitute for imported cane sugar.” 
In France there is a use for grape sugar arising from 
the fact that the sugar manufacturers do not prepare mo¬ 
lasses ready for the market as they do in this country. 
The crude molasses is bought up by second parties and 
the grape sugar is used very largely by them to extend 
it and give it body. An alkaline solution of grape sugar 
is converted by heat into a dark brown body, called me- 
lassic acid. This acid has a powerful affinity for oxygen, 
and reduces the CuO to Cu 2 0. Some of the tests for 
grape sugar are- founded upon this reaction. One of 
them, known as Feliling’s test, is prepared as follows:— 
A standard copper solution is made from 1 oz. crystallized 
sulphate of copper, 3 oz. cream of tartar, 11 oz. pure 
carbonate of potash, 14 or 16 oz. of a solution of caustic 
soda (sp. gr. IT2), and water until the solution measures 
15,160 water grains; 200 measured grains of this solution 
contain a quantity of copper that would be reduced by 1 
grain of sugar, each atom of sugar reducing 10 atoms of 
