The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-01-09
THERE'S DEATH IN THE POT"
COMPO UNDS or STARCH, LIME Ind
COPPERAS SOLD FOIt SYIsUP.


COPPERAS SOLD ROE SYRUP.
q Distinguished Chemist Tells the Tale
Startling Stories Of the Adultera-
ton of Syrup Facts Every House.
keeper Should Know.
Tho adulteration of sugars has
recently caused some inquiry, prin-
cipally because Of the charge that
importers color refined sugars in
order to escape the heavy duties on
the higher grades. During the
investigation, leading experts
testified that no pure sugar can be
found in the market. Recently,
too, Professor Kedzie, president of
the Board of Health of Michigan,
delivered lecture on this subject,
his attention having been called to
it by the poisoning of a family in
Michigan from eating adultcrated
syrup. The lecture is full Of inter
est but is too long to be reproduc-
cd. Some of it's solvent points will
be given. Professor Kedzie says
that the Anglo-Saxon is pre-.
eminently tho
SUGAR CONSUMING RACE.
AS England and the United
States consume annually forty~one
pounds of sugar per head, while
the Latin race, comprising France,
Italy, Spain, Belgium, Portugal and
Switzerland, consumes twelve
pounds, the German race seven
pounds, and the Russians, Poles,
Greeks and Turks only three pounds
per head. The adulte ration of this
article of food then particularly
interests us.
In chemistry there is q group of
substances similarly constituted,
known as the Starch and Sugar
group. There are two principal
kinds Of sugars, sucrose or cane
sugar, and glucose or grape sugar,
the latter of which crystallizes i'm
perfectly or not at all, and has but
little sweetness. It is the sort that
is seen on old raisins. Cane sugar
differs from starch only in having
one more molecule Of water, while
glucose has two more than starch.
If this one molcculo could be
chemically united to starch, cane
sugar would result. All efforts
heretofore have resulted in adding
two molecules, instead of one, and
thus producing grape sugar.
While grape sugar can be made of
many substances, such as sawdust,
rags and paper, it's manufacture
from these is expensive. Yet it
can be maue from starch easily and
choaply. The process is thus
described:
MAKING SUGAR FROM STARCH.
The standardization of the starch
in France is carried on in large
wooden vats, capable of holding
$500 gallons. The contents of the
vat may be heated by forcing in
steam through a coiled steam. pipe
at the bottom. The steam-pipe is
perforated to permit the steam to
escape at many points into the
contents Of the vat. In France the
steam pipe is made of lead in this
country I suspect they use iron
pipes. When two tons of starch
are to be converted into sugar,
thirty two barrels of water and
about eighty pounds of sulphuric
acid are placed in the vat, and the
whole heated to 212 degrees by
forcing in steam. Two hundred
pounds of starch ore then mixed
with twenty-five gallons of water
and stirred up, and four or five
gallons of this mixture are run into
the vat. The temperature is kept
up to tho boiling point all the
while, and successive charges of
starch are run in till the whole
amount is converted into sugar.
The steam is then shut off, and
chalk is added in sufficient quantity
to neutralizo tho sulphuric acid
but if too little chalk is used, free
sulphuric acid will be left in the
contents of the vat. The sparingly
soluble sulphate of lime is formed,
and much of it settles to the bottom
of the liquid; the clear liquid is
drawn off and evaporated by steam-
heat till the proper density OF syrup
is secured, or until it will crystal
IL