Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1921-10-28
GRAPE WASTE RECLAIMED.
Method Found to Utilize By-Products
Factories Now Throw Away.

The possibility of practical and profit
able commercial utilization of the stems
and pomace from the grape juice factories
which are now wasted is pointed out by
experts of the United States department
of agriculture in an investigation just
published The statement details methods
of utilizing the waste from the grapes by
manufacturing the stems into cream of
tartar. the skins into icllies and the seeds
into oil. meal and tannin extract.
Inquiry among the grape juice manuGac-
turers of Eastern United States shows
that the average quantity of grapes
crushed for beverage purposes in the five
years from 1914 to 1918 was $4,000 tons,
and that an average of 600 tons was dis
carded in stems and 400 tons in wet
pomace, constituting % per cent skins
and % per cent seeds.
From this quantity of waste it is shown
that the stems yielding two per cent of
cream of tartar can be made to yield 1872
tons of this product, which has consider
able commercial value and utility
"The pOmace after the seeds are sep
aratcd can be made into a good grade of
Jelly by simple process" says the state
ment, 1T is calculated by the experts
that $500 tons of wet skins would be
available annually from the wet pomacc.
from which it is estimated that -. 500 600
! eight-Ouncc glasses of jelly can be made.
| There would result from this operation
about ,43J tons of dry residue having
value as stock feed.
The grape seeds, comprising five per
cent of the total weight of fresh grapes,
or about ! 100 tons, can, after huling
and grinding, be made into oil by two diff
/ ferent methods known commercially as
the pressure method and the solvent ex-
! traction method. The total oil content OF
the seeds is estimated at 13 per cent, not
Il all of which, however, can be successfully
recovered. Taking LOO tons of seed a,
a basis, it IL estimated that by means o.
J, the pressure or expelcr method abou
|. 1913 tons of oil and 526.7 tons of oil cak
can be obtained. The Asa tons of hull
made available by this process are calcu
/ lated to yield 4S.4 tons of tannin extract
e BY means of the solvent extraction metho
| about 49, tons of oil, slightly inferior t
that of the pressed oil, can be obtained
also 96S tons of meal having lower MAJ
ket value than the pressed cake from tn
lpresure method. The total value of til
products obtained from the seed by cithe
& of the above methods is practically til
same. Refining, bleaching and deodOri;
r ing of the oil will produce n very pala
able continental oil possessing qualitit
n similar to those Of the soy bean and co
ton-Sccd oil.
IL since scarcely enough pOmace is pr
duced at any one factory to pay for in
q mediate utilization of the seeds and skin
| it is considered practicable to dry ii
IL wet pomacc, after which the seeds AZ
skins can be separated by machinery al
u the product stored in bags until after II
=. rush of the grapcjuice manufacturing Sc
u son. The material can then be manufa
turcd into the products mentioned, tn
enabling the plant to operate over
S longer period of time and thereby cuttii
down overhead expense of operation.
1T is further pointed out that the I
clamation of the waste from grapejui
factories and the conversion of the sal
into commercial products of value posse
possibilities far-reaching in effect. DO
as regards the consuming public and t
manufacturers, and is worthy of the me
ID careful and serious consideration as CO
IservatiOn measure