New-York tribune., 1878-12-21
SCIENCE AND SUGAR.


To the Editor Of TAe Tribune.
SIR: In view OF the Importance which the sub
ject of sugar is assuming in relation to proposed leg
islation and other matters, think that the PLAIN
statement of some well established but not partIc-
ularly familiar facts in that connection may not be
without interest or devoid of usefulness at the pres
ent time.
Tho term sugar in the first place, has n very wide
range OF sgneaton, covering not only the familiar
article OF diet known by that name and derived
practically from tie sugar cane or sugar Dect' out
also applied to large number of related bodies, re-
scmbng il more or less IN its distinguishing char
acter Of sweetness such grape sugar milk sugar
manniie, mclitoSe, etc While. however, the Word
sugar is used without improperly in general way
TO designate all these bodies it will be convenient
TO coninc il in stucter sense TO the single chcI-
cal substance derived from the cane or beet. and
which IL found in its purest commercial form IN or
dnary Loaf sugar. ana in less pure state III other
commercial sugars.
Confning the term "sugar" to this body, we may
first notice that it in greater or less quantity
in honey in fruits and vegetables of various sorts,
~ well "a in its familiar source, the sugar cane.
The sap of the maple contains it. 50 do many
grasses and not only the stalks of the sorghum, but
even those Of ordinary IrdIan corn. In all cases 1t
i MINGLED however, with more or less OF the other
related sweet bodies Of which will speak next.
The first of these Is often called glucose. This
name, however. has Il very general signlhcatIon,
and therefore should first define 1t more exactly
Glucose as a general term, is used to designate
Ell her one or any mixture of, two sweet prlnclple~
whose sources are very various. These two sweet
principles are most readily distinguished by m oP-
ricsl property, and from that have received then
names. Thus one Of them rotates the piano of vi
bration of poarzcd rag Of light to the right, ana
"a consequently called deXtro glucose or dex-
trose The other, rotating the ray oppo-
sitely. il called lgyo-glucOse or l1ynloSe.
The first Of these cTystazes with difficulty, and Is
much less sweet than sugar the other will not crys-
taIlze M all and II is said 10 be as sweet as sugar
or sveeter. These two forms of glucose are geucr-
ally found together: thus they both occur together
with sugar. III honey and in fruits generally. They
are also present the sugar cane, especially be-
fore il is fully ripe. Indeed there Is little doubt
that all the sugar of the passes through the
condition of glucose in the course of its develop
meut in the natural process of growth. Con-
ycr,ely il is found that sugar, under the acton OF
fcrmenis such as are found IN fresh cane juice.
breaks up into mixture of these two forms of glu-
coso dextrose aud lRyulose. This happens with
great rapdty If the cane juice Is allowed to stand
untreated when first racted. and 1t also goes
in spite of treatment If the juice is boiled at the
temperature necessary for that purpose, under the
atmospheric pressure. Thus IN the rough method
of sugar making, in which the cane juice after
treatment with lime is boiled down In open pans,
large amount the sugar is converted into glucose.
which. with coorng matter and other im-
purities ~ well "a much sugar which
,s held in solution by the glucose. cOnSti-
tutes the molasses OF the sugar boiler From all
this il comes to pass that largo part Of tho raw
suaars brought TO this country contain consdera-
bic percentage of glucose, produced above stated.
IL will be convenient To distinguish this variety of
glucose OF this mixture OF dextose and lHvulosc,
by the special name OF inverted sugar, OF sugar
glucose a., .
auIcky, We can ALWAYS DO so by boiling solution
Of sugar for "a few minutes with little sulphurc
or hydrochorc acid. One-tenth OF one per cent OF
acid will "nvcrt" the sugar III less than ten MIN
utes When the sugar has been inverted we can by
annropriate means separate 1t into dextroso and
Ipyulose when the deXtrose will be found to be
decidedly less sweet than the lDvulose or than
sugar But we make dextrOse almost or
tiTeIy free from lBvulOse at once by another
method. II we add little sulphuric acid TO boiled
starch and keep the sams at temperature nbont
tnat of boiling Tor moderate time, the starch Will
be converted largely INTO deXtrose. There viii
nowcyer, be formed IN addition, some deXtrine
British gum. and when the acid has been removed
by adding lime, with which 1t forms an insouble
compound, and the solution IL concentrated to
syrup soid. We have the commercial article
supaip To distinguish this from the other variety
of ulucose, which is mixture ofdextrose and leyu
lose viii call this. which IL essentially only dex-
trosc "slarch glucose
The manufacture of this starch glucose is large
and perfectly legitimate industry. which has re-
celved rapid development of late years. The pro-
Duct ryaporated to a thick syrup. or further con-
o,nlratrd to a solid mass OF minute crystals. Is free
from any deleteri0us chemical substance lthe sui.
nhurlc acid having been entirely neutrahzed and
enectiyey removed by precipitation with lime. as
ABOVE stated and tor reasons which Will DO fully
A ate,I furl her on, IL q wholesome and nutritive
food. Ii IS, however less than hall as sweet as
sngar aud therefore. If added To sugar and sold
,nob would unquesti0nably constitute an adultera'
ton not because 1t was unwhoesome or less nu-
trtlous than sugar, but because II was OF less et
cenCy and usefulness TO tue purchaser. who, III buy
ing sugar sought an article not only wholesome and
nutrlt ous but also sweet to "a certain recognized
degree Starch glucose, while inferior to sugar In
sweetness has, however, a multitude OF uses TO
when iL is admirably adapted. Thus II can
readily be fermented INTO alcohol and further oXy
dIzed into acetlc acid or vinegar. In the former
latiun 1t Is largely used IN tho manufacture of
wines from grapes which do not contain enough
natural grape sugar to make wines winch
will keep well. 1t is also used in the
same connection in the making of beer. In tins
latter use is open to the objection that the beer
thus made will be deficient III the extrctIye mat
tors present where the grain Is converted into this
same glucose by the action of its natural ferment,
and tue whole mass treated with not water, which
then dIssolyes not only the glucose, but more or
less nutritious material besides In far, then,
beer is used as nutrInient food. that made from
glucose will be less nutritious than that prepared
directly from gram.
Glucose Is again largely used in confectionery.
In many sorts OF candies pure sugar would
be 100 sweet and needs reduction by some
means. Here glucose, by its slight tendency
to CRYSTALLINE and consequent smOothness, ~
very efficient substitute for sugar. IL
finds q similar III many pharmaceutical
preparations; aud mixed with moasses from sugar
IL constitutes very agreeable syrup, against which
no wand objection Is To be found, 80 lar as the
glucose ~ concerned, whose purlty and cleanll-
ness of manufacture, as compared with that Of the
imported mOiIsses, would sustain the charge that