The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-11-06
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTION
Manufacture of Sugar Cane Syrup So
as to Prevent CrystallizatiOn
and Fermentation


the Bureau of Chemistry. U. S. De-
partment Of Agriculture.
Pure sugar cane syrup is whole
some and delicious food product. A
nore extensive consumption and a
larger production would react to the
benefit of both the consumer and the
producer. However, the tendency of
sugar cane syrup to crystalline and
fement has been an obstacle to ex-
tending it's marketable territory and
hence has curtailed production. Sugar
cane syrup if evaporated too thick
will crystallize while, on the other
hand, thin syrup is very likely to
fcrment in warm weather unless it
has been packed with proper steriliza-
tion in air-tight containers. Market
ing in bulk is impossible except dur
ing cool weather and cold storage
warehousing must be resorted to if
cane syrup is to be held in barrels any
length of time during warm weather.
A thick sugar syrup will not fer
ment as readily as thin syrup. Corn
syrup or glucose at a density of AZ
deg Baunie (19.5 per cent water) is
transported and stored during the
warmest weather without fermenta-
tion. Experiments have shown that
sugar cane syrup of this density also
does not readily ferment in warm
weather. Ordinarily, however, a
sugar cane syrup containing as little
as 1876 per cent water will crystalline
almost solid. The problem. therefore,
of making cane syrup that will not
ferment and so can be transported,
stored and marketed in bulk through
out the year develops into problem
of making syrup that will not crys-
tallize when evaporated to water
content of less than 20 per cent.
The sweetness of cane juice is due
to cane sugar Chemically known as
"sucrose") and invert sugar. The for
mer, sucrose, is present in very much
larger amount than the latter but the
sweetness or flavor is not dependent
upon the relative proportions of these
sugars. Sucrose crystallizes, or sep
arates out from solution. very readily
while invert sugar does not readily
crystalline. BY decreasing the pro-
portion of sucrose in cane juice and
increasing proportionately the amount
of invert sugar the sweetness will not
be diminished while the tendency OF
the finished syrup to undergo crystal
lIzation will be greatly lessened. The
process of Transforming sucrose into
invert sugar is called inversion and is
one of the most frequently occurring
chemical reactions taking place in ma.
ture. A good example of this process
is the manufacture Of honey by bees
Honey is principally invert sugar
while it is mainly cane sugar or sue
rose that the bees collect from plants
and flowers.
Transformation of sucrose to In.
vert sugar on a large scale can bt
brought about in several days; by :
very long boiling with water, by boil
ing with acids or by the action of al
extract obtained from yeast which i:
called "invertase." For the purpose o.
manufacturing heavy bodied sugar
cane syrup that will not crystalline {
partial transformation or inversion o.
the sucrose into invert sugar car
readily and easily be accomplished By
the use of a-little yeast extract, or, a!
it is generally called, "invertase."
Invertase is substance CHEMICAL!
classified as an enzyme The cheapes
and most available material from
which to prepare invertase is yeast
When brewers yeast can be obtainet
as by-product Of the manufacture O
cereal beverages it furnishes a chea]
source of supply for the preparation
of this engine. Invertase as it i
used to invert sugar in the manufac
ture Of cane syrup is a brown liqui'
with a peculiar though not disagree
able taste. On first appearance it ma,
seem that this liquid, when added &
cane juice, would affect the flavor o
the finished syrup but this is not tn
case as it is necessary to use such