The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-03-23
DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES.
ALCOHOL.
(Continued)

suited for the manufacture of alec.
hol, for it is so rich in sugar and
starch, containing about 10 percent
of sugar and about 60 percent OF
starch. Whereas the common potato
and the beet, which are so extensive
w used in Europe for making alcohol,
have far less proportion of the es-
sential elements. The potato has but
about 4 percent of sugar and ~ per-
cent of starch, and the beet has but
10 percent of sugar Both potatoes
easily undergo alcoholic fermentation
for the reason that besides the sugar
actually present, the starch that they
contain is readily converted also into
sugar by the addition of malt. The
result is pure spirit called spirit of
wine.
All kinds of starch are easily
changed into grape sugar by boiiing
with dilute ulphuric acid, which in
this case acts like ferment, because
1t is not decomposed during the ac-
ton. In this way sugar for alcohol
manufacture is now largely made
from the potato and other starch
yielding plants.
The enormous yield per acre OF the
sweet potato under proper cultivation
and in suitable soil and climate is
greatly in its favor as source of al
cohol manufacture. In Martinique
| it has been in successful cultivation
for this purpose for some time, and
has largely replaced the sugar indus
try with more certain and stable prof
its and less outlay.
Certain tropical fruits that contain
abundant sugar, are also valuable
for the production If alcohol. This
is especially so with the pineapple
and the banana, both of which fruits
are rich in sugar and the latter in
starch, and yield an excellent quality
of alcohol, the essential oils in which
are agreeable and inoffensive. In
several countries they are now used
for distillation when foreign ship
ment of the fruit is unfavorable. AL
cohol made from fruit is free of fusel
oil, and superior TO alcohol made of
cereals which contains the offensive
and poisonous fusel oil. Fruits that
are not rich in sugar are not fit for
alcohol, for they undergo only the
acetous fermentation which results
in vinegar.
Rice is also valuable for distilla-
ton into alcohol, for it contains 70
TO 20 percent of starch, which, as we
have stated before, readily under
goes the alcoholic fermentation. Vast
quantities OF rice are imported into
Europe, and its use for distillation
is rapidly extending in Germany,
Holland, France and Italy. Sake or
rice wine is the principal and almost
the only alcoholic beverage of Japan
1t is made exclusively of rice by fer,
mentation. The total annual produc
ton is estimated at $50 million gal
Ions.
The principle by which alcohol il
produced, is the fermentation of GER
tain substances containing sugar Of
starch that is converted into sugar
by which process the sugar Is inverted
lnIo glucose, IRON which lne alcono
is formed. This is known as alcoholic
fermentation. But if this process i,
not carefully conducted, other fer
mentations ensue, for glucose is sub
ject to four principal kinds of fer
alcoholic, acetous, Tactic
aud viscous. These are called the
+ accidents of fermentation and have
TO be carefully guarded against
= Pasteur in his classical memoir has
proved that in viscous or alcoholic
fermentation, "the balance sheet o.
the reaction is as follows. One
hundred parts of cane sugar, in fer
menting, pass into 1854 parts of glu
cose, which then breaksup yielding
Iannr0Xlmatelul of