The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-11-29
NEW USES FOR THE GRAPE
Non Alcoholic Methods of Preparing
the Juice

The substantial food values of
grapes are mainly in the liquid Juices
that may be expressed for use, or con-
sumed with the pulp. either in fresh
or dried condition. The juice contains
principles of nutritve value that may
be compared with milk, with the diff
ference that the sugar is largely in
excess and therefore gives to the juice
much greater energizing properties. 1t
is mainly the sugar contents to which
attention is called. because they are
practically the basis of commercial
value of the grape. Our grape juice
varies in sugar, when ripe, between
what is practically tested at from 20
to % per Cent--overripe berries some
times contain higher. imperfect ones
sometimes less. the average in the
San Joaquin valley is between 22
and "a per cent. so that with an aver
age of $50 gallons of juice to the ton
of fruit we may say approximately
that a ton of average grapes contain
400 pounds of sugar. Here is basic
principle of recognized value which
ought to establish the minimum price
for grapes. Buying grapes at $40 IA
ton IN cans buying sugar at " cents
q pound The cost of making this
food value available in commerce
does not really vary so much in the
different methods AS many may SUPP
pose, if we eliminate branches OF the
industry that appear more to the IAN
cies of luxury rather than to neCessi-
ties of the food consumer, Fine wines
may command extraordinary prices
and require much skill and long nurs-
ing, while ordinary table clarets may
be bought in bulk for 20 cents Il gal
lon.
The same is partly true of raisins
and table grapes and with respect to
unfermented grape juice, az now dis
tributed in bottles only, the expensive
method is similar to the expensive
method of distributing wines as cased
goods.
Grape syrup is the factor of pro-
duction which is capable Of saving and
utilizing to best advantage the surplus
of wine, table and raisin grapes. The
practicability of this has been known
long time, but il has never been
popularized. 1t is. however, now
known to nearly all the large wine
makers. who are rapidly increasing
their facilities to condense juice into
a syrup representing about four gal
Ions of juice reduced in volume to one
gallon, with sugar varying from 65 to
so per cent, according TO the usual
must scale. A syrup, however, show
ing Is per cent according to the ordi-
nary scale is equal when diluted to
about four gallons of juice. showing
"a per cent. This apparently puzzling
proposition requires too much eXpla-
nation for this occasion The usual
scale does not show the true per-
centage Of sugar, although sufficient
ly accurate for the winemaker using
the natural juices. When grape
syrup becomes a subject Of general
trade, new methods for determining
values must be devised
TO manufacture such syrup the
wine-makers, who required it occa-
sionally in treating certain sweet
wines, usually obtained it by heating
with steam coils in open watts, the
juice being constantly stirred to pre-
vent characterization. Syrup made in
that way has a cooked and oxidized
taste, suggesting the taste Of old Ma
laga or raisin wines. The improved
method consists in evaporation in
vacuum pans and other devices which
enable the condensation to DE eff
fected without destroying the fresh,
fruity properties Of the juice. About
twenty-five years ago, during pc
riod of low prices for grapes, pc
euliar invention was utilized I'm sos"-
ma county to condense juice, and
large quantities of juice were export
ed to Germany. where they were used