The Delta independent., 1908-03-20
BEET SUGAR VS.. CANE.
Results of Tests Made, as Published by the
University Of Colorado

mooted question ever since beet sugar
has become such an important factor
in the sugar market. The friends of
sugar from cane early in the days of
the beet-sugar industry maintained that
beet sugar was repulsive, ill-flavored,
Unlocking, and entirely inferior to cane
sugar. AS soon as it was found that
sugar, white and pure from technical
standpoint. could be made in the beet
sugar factory directly from beets, and
that this sugar would analyze as close
to 100 per cent. as the product from
cane, the friends of the latter advanced
other arguments, especially to the
effect that beet sugar could not be used
for various purposes for which the
older cane product had long been en-
ployed. Even to-day the question is
this. and the numerous statements
made in public meetings and in the
columns of certain newspapers that
beet sugar can not be safely used for
purposes of fruit preserving and cam
ming, and the fact that this idea is
quite prevalent among housekeepers,
cannery men, and confectioners, certain
experiments were undertaken in the
canning of fruit and the making of
jellies, using beet sugar, and checking
the results against the same kinds of
fruits prepared in the same manner
with cane sugar.
The Sources of the Sugar. The sugar
from cane was purchased from the
Western Sugar Refinery, San Francis
CO, Cal, and was guaranteed to be
from cane. The sugar tested 99.7 per
cent. pure sucrose. The beet sugar
was made directly from beets grown at
Oxnard, Cal, and was manufactured
by the American Beet Sugar Company,
the sugar having been donated by that
company for the purposes of this test.
Analysis showed this sugar to be 99S
per cent. pure sugar, and thus fully
equal to the cane product in sugar
value.
The Fruit and the Method.-The fruit
used in the experiments comprised
cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, and
pears. Each of these was preserved in
different strengths of syrup in the or
binary methods of canning employed in
the commercial canneries, as well as
after the methods followed in the
household practice of canning and jelly
making.
In the csnnery the method of pro-
ceedure was to make up a concentrated
sugar solution by dissolving $50 pounds
of sugar in tanks, and then reducing
the concentrated solution to the desired
density by transferring a quantity of
the concentrated solution to tank re-
served for that strength of solution,
and reducing the density to the desired
degree as shown on a spindle In the
case of apricots, both peeled and un-
peeled fruit were put up after the or
dinary cannery methods, and in the
regular course of work with syrup
showing 40 per cent. sugar; with green
gage plums, 10 per cent. syrup was
used; with pears, 10, 10, 20, 80, 40 and
SIS per cent. syrup respectively was
used, and with peaches 40 per cent.
syrup. In most instances all these
strengths were used both in the case
of sugar from cane and sugar from
beets, but in the case of one cannery
only beet sugar was used.
In the making of the syrup some
difference was noted in the action of
different grades of sugar. The beet
sugar caused the more froth in the
making of syrup, but further investi-
cation led to the conclusion that this
was due to the fact that the granula-
ton of the beet sugar was much finer
than that of the cane, therefore caus-
ing more air to become entangled dur
ing the stirring than in the case of the
sugar from cane. This was shown by
the use of cane sugar of about the
same granulation in another batch of
syrup, in which case the same frothiny
occurred as with the beet product.
This has been noted in other instances.
and Gamers are wont to count this
against the beet sugar, bnt it is only
the result of not comparing sugars of
the same granulation. This difference
in the action due to difference of gran
ulation was the only apparent differ
ence arising during the making of the
syrup. This is not an essential differ
ence between these sugars, however,
as the character of the granulation is
entirely dependent upon the wish of
the manufacturer, the methods of boil