18 
RESEARCHES THE ON MANUFACTURE, 
figure, but is sure to alter in consequence of the action of 
ferments. Koji acts also on maltose ; on a trial of the specific 
rotatory power after heating a solution of maltose and koji 
extract for 20 minutes to 45°C. the said author found a de¬ 
crease of 13.1°, the maltose being converted into dextrose. 
Is it not probable, therefore, that, in the three experiments by 
which Atkinson claims to have proved maltose and dextrin to 
be the only products of starch, dextrose should have been 
formed at the same time ? 
Hence in spite of the wonderful coincidence of the specific 
rotatory powers, actually observed and calculated in the in¬ 
direct way, by which Atkinson found the starchy products to 
consist, 
in one experiment, of 56.27% of dextrin and 43.28% maltose, 
in the second. ,, 28.46 „ ,, ,, 71.54,, ,, 
and in the third.... „ 30.00 „ ,, „ 70.00,, „ 
we cannot regard the presence of maltose among these products 
as decisively established. We therefore repeated some of the 
experiments made by that author and extended our researches 
over some other carbohydrates, proceeding in the following 
way : 
Solutions of each carbohydrate were mixed with an extract 
made from koji by digesting 100 grms. of the latter with 500 
c.c. of cold water for 12-16 hours and filtering. Usually for 
200 c.c. of the solution of the carbohydrate 100 c.c. of the 
extract was applied, and the mixture was heated to 40-50°C- 
for 2-3 hours and then cooled. A small volume of koji extract 
was treated in just the same way as the mixture, care being 
taken that while heating no water should evaporate from the 
bottles. In all these fluids the optical rotation was determined 
at the same temperature (22-23°C.) with the help of a Wild’s 
polaristrobometer by Hermann & Pfister, 200 millimeters’ 
tubes and sodium light being used. The results of these 
observations were as follows : 
