'ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  REFINED  LIQUORICE. 
225 
ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  REFINED  LIQUORICE. 
By  Dr.  Geisler. 
The  following  investigations  were  made  for  the  purpose  of 
determining  the  best  substance  to  be  used  as  an  addition  to  the 
purified  or  refined  liquorice,  giving  it  a  dry  and  brittle  character, 
and  also  to  remedy  the  absorption  of  moisture  from  the  atmos- 
phere. He  says,  to  gain  this  object  I  had  formerly  dissolved 
the  crude  liquorice  in  hot  water  and  filtered  or  strained  it  through 
a  woolen  cloth  of  medium  thickness,  and  then  evaporated  it  to 
the  proper  consistence ;  as  thus  obtained,  it  did  not  possess  a 
pure  taste,  and  formed  a  cloudy  solution  with  water.  The 
liquorice  used  for  the  following  investigations  was  in  thinnish 
sticks  without  any  stamp,  and  cost  in  Dresden  about  §20  per 
hundred  weight.  This  was  placed  between  alternating  rows  of 
straw  and  extracted,  on  the  displacement  principle,  with  cold 
water.  The  solution  thus  obtained  was  strained  and  evaporated 
on  a  steam  bath  to  the  consistence  of  a  pill  mass ;  one-fourth  of 
the  crude  extract  gave  46  oz.,  72  per  cent,  of  dried  extract, 
which  was  perfectly  soluble  in  cold  water. 
1st.  A  portion  of  this  purified  extract  was  rolled  out  into 
sticks  without  any  other  addition.  To  obtain  the  sticks  in  a 
perfectly  round  state,  it  was  necessary  to  re-roll  them  six  times 
during  the  time  they  were  being  dried,  the  temperature  being 
raised  to  813  F.  After  remaining  in  an  apparently  dry  room 
for  a  few  days,  they  became  so  soft  and  flexible  that  they  could 
not  be  broken  ;  under  a  bell-glass  with  water,  one  oz,  of  this  ex- 
tract absorbed  in  three  days  62  grains  moisture. 
2d.  Sixteen  parts  of  the  purified  extract  reduced  to  the  con- 
sistence of  a  pill  mass,  were  thoroughly  mixed  with  one  part  of 
starch  and  then  rolled  into  sticks.  During  the  time  they  were 
being  dried  at  a  temperature  of  90°  F.  they  lost  their  rotundity, 
and  required  re-rolling  several  times.  They  lost  their  brittleness, 
like  No.  1,  in  a  dry  room.  One  ounce  of  this  extract,  under  a 
bell-glass  with  water,  had  increased  54  grains  after  three  days. 
It  was  not  quite  soluble  in  cold  water,  but  hot  water  made  a  per- 
fect solution. 
3d.  Sixteen  parts  of  the  purified  extract  were  mixed  with  one 
part  finely  powdered  sugar  of  milk.    To  roll  out  this  mass,  it  was 
15 
t 
