The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-07-11
GRAPE WASTE RECLAIMED. 4
Method Found to Utilize ESy-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 jeilies and the seeds
into oil, meal and tannin extract.
Inquiry among the grape juice manufac-
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
arated can be made into a good grade of
jelly by simple process says the state
ment 1T is calculated nv the e~"a"ts
that $500 tons of wet skins would be
available annually from the wet poiuacc.
from which it is estimated that 10. 500 900
eight-Ounce glasses of jelly can be made.
There would result from this operation
about 1.435 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 LOO tons. can, after hulling
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 Is per cent, not
all OF which, however, can be successfully
recovered. Taking l. 100 tons of seed as
a basis, il is estimated that by means of
the pressure or eXpeller method about
1913 tons of oil and J267 tons of oil cake
can be obtained. The 4S4 tons of bulls
made available by this process are calcu-
lated to yield 4S.4 tons of tannin extract.
BY means of the solvent extraction method
about ~ tons of oil. slightly inferior to
! that of the pressed oil. can be obtained
also 96S tons of meal having a lower mar
ket value than the pressed cake from the
pressure method. The total value of the
products obtained from the seed by either
of the above methods is practically the
same. Refining, bleaching and deodoriz-
ing of the oil will produce a very palat-
able continental oil possessing qualities
similar to those of the soy bean and cot
ton-Seed oil.
Since scarcely enough pomace is pro
duced at any one factory to pay for i'm
medlate utlllzatlon OF thegSeedS and skins,
it is considered practicable to dry the
wet pomace, after which the seeds and
skins can be separated by machinery and
the product stored in bags until after the
rush of the grapejuice manufacturing sea
son. The material can then be manufac-
tured into the. products mentioned. thus
enabling the plant to operate over a
longer period of time and thereby cutting
down overhead expense of operation.
1T is further pointed out that the re-
clamation of the waste from grapeiuice
factories and the conversion of the same
! into commercial products of value possess
possibilities far-reaching in effect. both
as regards the consuming public and the
manufacturers, and is worthy of the most
careful and serious consideration as a con.
| ServatiOn measure"