The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-10

available is industrial Alcohol. Its
Manufacture and Uses." published by
Mum & Company. S61 Broadway, New
York. from which the greater part of
the following discussion Is taken. See
notice of book on another page.
Raw Materials Used.-Alcohol is the
product Of fermentation and consists
of carbon. hydrogen and oxygen.
Starch and sugar are the two sub
stances in nature which are capable
of producing alcohol. 1t follows from
this that the materials used in alcohol
production are the starchy grains and
vegetables and certain sugar-bearing
roots and fruits. The grains most
generally used are barley. rye, corn,
oats. wheat and rice; the vegetable
most used Is the potato. The sugar.
bearing products are the sugar beets
and similar roots and fruits. Thus
far the starchy materials, grains and
potatoes. have been the principal ones
used and in the following discussion
only such will be considered.
Preparation of Malt-As has been
explained. the first process in the
manufacture is the conversion of
starch into sugar. This is effected by
allowing malt or sprouted grain to act
upon the starches OF the raw material.
The grains most frequently used in
the preparation of malt are barley,
rye. oats and wheat. preferably bar
ley. When barley is used It Is first
washed thoroughly to remove dust
and foreign matter. and then soaked
in water to insure complete germina-
ton. For this soaking, sleeping watts
or cisterns must be provided. The
size of the watts will depend upon the
capacity OF the plant. 1t has been de-
termined that SO gallons capacity is
necessary for every 100 pounds of
barley. These watts may be of wood,
metal or cement. If wood is used, it
must be treated with a preservative
to prevent the organic substances
from penetrating the pores of the
wood and melting fermentation. In
permanent plants metal or cement is
preferable. In large plants specially
manufactured watts are used in which
a current of water is forced up
through the mass of grains maintain
ing constant agitation. In smaller
plants the water may be put into the
watts and the grain poured in and
stirred until all sterile grains and i'm
'purities rise to the top to be SKINNED
on. The grains are allowed to soak
until all of the berries are softened.
Gauging the soaking period will re-
quire some experience, but barley re-
quires about three days; rye and oats
slightly less time.
After the grain is sufficiently stepped
it must be removed to the mailing
floor for termination. 1t is first al
lowed to lie upon the floor for ten or
twelve hours to allow the water to
drain of, and then spread out in an
even layer to the depth of two to four
inches to permit the grain to partially
dry out on the surface. After some
twelve or fourteen hours the grain is
formed into smooth level heap from
eight to twenty inches deep. depend
ing on the temperature of the room
the higher the temperature the lower
the heap should be. termination is
then in progress and the grain should
be shoveled over every six or eight
hours to prevent irregular heating
and to keep all grains uniformly
moist. The germinal parts begin to
develop in from eighteen to twenty
four hours. AS termination pro-
crosses the temperature rises and the
heap must be gradually spread to six,
four and three inches and the process
checked when it reaches the proper
stage. 1t is then ready for mixing
with the raw material. Ii used i'm
mediately the malt is ground; If not,
it must be turned frequently and
spread in shallow heaps or kiln-dried
for future USE =.
Preparation of the Raw MATERIAL
The second step in the process is mix
ing the malt with the raw material
for the malt to work upon the starches.
Before this is done, however. the ma
terial must undergo preparatory
process to soften and disintegrate it
and make the starches available. The
process varies somewhat with the dill
ferent materials used. With potatoes
they are first thoroughly washed and
cleansed and then steamed or cooked.
The cooking is for the double purpose
of dissOlving the starch and to break
down the walls of the starch gran
ules and gelatinize the cells. AS they
require very little added water for the
cooking process, and even a part of
the natural juices must be withdrawn
in order to have thick mash. With
grains water must be added to ac-
complish complete disintegration.
From 40 to SO gallons of water are
necessary for each 100 pounds of
grain. The grain is slowly poured in
to the required amount of water
warmed to 1870 to 40 degrees Fair.
and stirred constantly to avoid the
formation of Jumps. The temperature
is then raised to from 1874 to 2O3 de-
grees Fair The stirring is continued
until the mass is thoroughly STEPPED,
when it gives off peculiar aromatic
odor. The time required for cooking
differs with different materials, but
with grain it usually takes from an
hour to an hour and half. 1t is then
cooled by the addition of water or by
special cooling apparatus.
The MASKING Process.-When the
raw material has been cooked and
cooled it is ready for the addition of
malt. This is called the MASKING pro-
cess and requires MASKING vat capa-
BILE of being subjected to tempera-
ture of about $50 degrees Fair. The
amount Of malt added to the raw ma
terial should be about rs per cent of
the whole. This malt is put into the
vat with just enough water to permit
the formation Of a thick, pasty malt
milk when the mass Is thoroughly agi-
tated. Into this the cooked potatoes
or grains are slowly introduced and