Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-11-23
GLUCOSE MANUFACTURE.
Interesting Process by Which Honey
Made from Indian Corn.

interesting Proccss by Which Honey IL
Made from Indian Corn.
The process of making glucose will
be best understood by following the
corn from the time 1t ontors the factory
until 1t runs out at spigot clcar,
colorloss liquid. Tho shcll corn is
first soaked for several days in water
to. soften the hull and prepare it for
the cracking procosI. The softened
corn is conveyed by elevators to one
of the higher stories of tho factory
and shoveled into large hoppers. from
which 1t passes into mills that merely
crack tho. grains without reducing
them at once to n flne meal. Tho
cracked grain Is then conducted to u
large tank filled with rinsiug water.
Tho hulls OF tho corn float at the top
of the water, the germs sink to tho
bottom, and tho portions of the grain
containing the starch, becoming
gradually reduced to flour by friction,
are held in solution in the water.
BY an ingenious process both the
hulls and the germs are removed and
the flour part now held in solution
contains nothing but starch and gluten.
This liquid is then made TO flow over a
series OF tables, representing several
acres in area, and the difference in tho
specific gravity OF the two substances
causes the gluten apd starch to separ.
nte without the use Of chemicals.
The gluten is of golden yellow col
or and the starch snow white. BY the
time the gluten has been completely
eliminated tho starch assumes a plas-
tic form and is collected from the sep
arating tables by wheelbarrowfuls and
taken to n drying-room, where it is
prepared as the starch OF commerce or
is placed in chemical apparatus to be
converted into glucose. The CONVEX
sion is effected by submitting the starch
to the action OF minute percentage OF
the sulphuric acid, which without be-
coming constituent part OF the COM
pound, produces by its presence mere
ly a miraculous chemical change.
This change from starch TO glucose
is a gradual process and has four or
five well-delined stages. On the addi-
tion OF the acid the arst change results
in tho production OF what is known TO
chemists as dcxtrine. II, at this stage,
the acid is neutralizsd by the addition
Of lime water, the process is checked
and dextrine is the permanent product.
IL the process is allowed to go on. tho
acid, however, works a second change
and maltosc is the result. Here the
process can, il necessary, be interrupt
ed by neutralizing the acid by means of
lime water, and for some purposes in tho
art of brewing this is sometimes done
The third and important stage in the
chemical change wrought by the action
results in the production of glucose,
and Just hero is whore tho greatest
skill of tho chemist is required. The
product. must show By test that it
responds exactly to the chemical for
mula CO. HIP, O6. BY comparing this
formula with that of starch, which is
&C, Hl0, Oj-that is, six parts of car
bon to ten of hydrogen and five OF
oxygen-it will be seen that the sui
phuric acid has not added to the starch,
but has taken up two parts of hydrogen,
and the only gain in the starch is one
part of oxygen. The lime water intro
duced to neutralizc the acid forms with
it a product called gypsum, which can
be removed from the glucose without
leaving any appreciable trace.
The fourth stage in the chemical
process results in crystallzing the
liquid, and then the product is called
grape sugar. There is fifth stage in
which caramel, or burnt sugar, could
be produced were it Of any commercial
value. The gypsum, or sulphate Of
lime, formed by the neutralizing
lime water and sulphuric acid,
sinks by gravitatlon to the bot
tom OF the vessel and the super
natant saccharine liquid is drawn
off from the top This is almost pure
chemical glucose, but it is still sub
jected TO a altering process through
Donooi"o " =. a. TLo
way, way aI -, o,'"1 1,' eus go. ,tinr hnt tho az
oono Diao~ n'sS ,'if,.,,,1, , go NV h,,t NJ
pea, M ~, " ,,iI,a G ,n,,,,,.s,, ~ attraot
s sos'.o ,.oi, s.o pS ~ aa,pa,,io. n,,.,,n Tho
ins ~. ~ .''oa, a.i o., -, Iahvr;n,h;na
s..s,s'1 s.AeyS' ! 31 e,.as,~n 70 Snan, og ~
es ;. ?son T.. a., az -, ,,,nt ~ tho LID
in barrels. To give the glucose the
anpearance of cane sirup rs well as to