The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-06-09
Glucose.

U1ucOS6.
Glucose is an article which people
use more of and know less about,
perhaps, than they do of almost any
other common product. Recently it
has received great degree of atten-
tion because of the sugar tariff discus
sion. Glucose has been largely used
in sugar, some say as an aduiteration,
others say as beneficial admixture.
The government last year collected
SAT 900, 900 of revenue from sugar, a
larger revenue than was derived from
any other article. The value of the
sugars imported which yielded this
revenue was $685. ,732. 1t is esti-
mated that the people of this country
consume annually 100000 tons of
sugar, of which 10000 come from the
Sandwich Islands. The value of this
years native production is computed.
a. Sc, 0,0O0.OOO. Each person In this
country on the average consumes
lorty-HVe POUNDS OF sugar.
A statement recently made by a
sugar man of this city is startling if
true. He said that large grocery
firm in this city had invented, or at
any rate owned, machine for mix
ing sugar and glucose, and had sent
its agents all over the country selling
the machine to the retail grocers. The
mixture is made in the proportion of
from fifteen to thirty pounds of glu-
cose to a hundred pounds of sugar.
Any larger proportion of glucose be-
ing detachable and therefore danger
Gus. The soft, yellow sugar, of which
large quantities are sent to the West,
is the kind most commonly mixed
with glucose, although even white
sugar has been thus used. The solid
glucose has the color of meal and
something of the texture of salt, but
is almost tasteless.
But to find out specially how glu-
cose was prepared and used the re-
porter went to firm who are large
dealers in grape sugar. Grape sugar
is one form of glucose. In England
and France it is all called glucose, in
the United States glucose in it's liquid
form is called glucose, and in its solid
form grade sugar.
"GlucOse, to begin WITH" said Mr..
Nichols, member of the firm, "is
starch submitted to a certain treat.
ment. 1t was manufactured as early
as 1912 in France, and later i'm Eng
land, from potatoes, and only recent
ly to very small evtent has been
in England from corn.
Glucose was first made from corn
in America. don't know how many
years ago, but it has only come into
prominence within the last six years.
1t was never made from potatoes in
this country, because the value of
potatoes has been too high. can't
tell you who first made glucose from
corn. know twenty men who claim
the proud distinction, but certain it
is that the business was first begun
on large scale in Buffalo. Now |
there are factories in Chicago, Detroit
LeavenWorth and many other West.
ern cities, and there is one right over
here in Glen Cove, Long Island.
There are altogether at the present
time twenty-four glucose factories in
the country. AS l said before, glu.
cose is starch, to begin with. At.
tempts have been made to manufac-
ture glucose direct from the corn, but
they have never been very successful.
The starch is extracted from the corn
by grinding and maceration and is
then converted into glucose by boil
ing with sulphuric acid. In the first
place the sulphuric acid is weakened
until it has about the strength of lem
onade. A small quantity is then put
in with the milk of starch and boiled
and you have glucose in its liquid
form. Continue the process little
further and you have dextrine. Con-
tinue it little further still and you
have. grape sugar. The sulphuric acid
is extracted again by the use of lime.
Not ordinary lime, that would not be
fine enough but the finest grade, like
French whiting is used. Under steam
pressure the sulphuric, acid and lime
unite in forming creamy substance
which is sulphate of lime. This is
gotten out by means of a fiItering.
press. After the sulphate of lime is
extracted the grape sugar has to 60
through all the ordinary refining pro.
cesses that are applied to cane sugar.
"Glucose," contin ued Mr.. Nichols,
is used mainly by confectioners. They
use it in the liquid form, mixing it
with sugar to make the soft candies.