Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-11
Some Suggestions on Making Syrup
From Suoar Cane

Some Suggestions on Making Syrup
From Sugar Cane
There are a good many things tt
be considered in the making and mar
lz1t;ng of syrup, foremost amonl
which is the idea of the consumer as
to what constitutes a good syrup. The
individual who purchases syrup has
learned to expect certain qualities
colors and flavors. When he finds
them, the article is high grade. When
he fails to find them, the product is
''off." The farmers in Georgia have
for many years been making SYRUP
of good quality. This syrup, wher
put upon the market, often brings a
good price. The problem remaining
however, is to standardize the syrup
purchased. In judging, there are
three considerations, viz: body, color
flavor.
By body we mean the proper den.
/ sity or consistency. It must not be
too thin nor too thick. The CONNER
cial buyer of syrup has had so much
practice that he can tell you in a mo-
ment that the syrup Is all right or
that it is not. The way in which he
often tests it is by pouring a few
per, fitting one edge and watching
how it runs. A good instrument for
determining whether or not the body
of the syrup is satisfactory is the sac
charometer, an instrument which
registers the density of the syrup. Us
ually, a cold syrup has a density of
81 degrees to SO degrees Beaume.
The buyer would call this just right.
Preference is given to a light-color-
ed product so much so that from SC
to 10e more gallon will be paid for
it. Under color, the brightness of the
syrup is to be considered. A per-
fectly clear and transparent product
is not to be desired to the extent of
sacrificing color. Some Of the best
priced syrups are slightly milky in
appearance.
This cloudiness should not be too
pronounced, as it will severity affect
the selling qualities of the syrup. In
the case Of cane syrup, the market
requires straw-yellow Or greenish-
yellow syrup. The nearer the color
of the syrup can be made to resem-
BILE that OF a piece of yellow amber,
the more nearly perfect is its color.
The judging of color of syrup by the
consumer is also done by placing a
little of the sample on a piece, of
white paper and watching it run.
1t is a difficult thing to describe
Just what flavor is desired, yet, the
best price depends upon the flavor
Of the syrup. Syrup should not have
the raw twang that is often found
in a syrup that has been made from
juice not properly clarified. A prop
erly made syrup will have just q
suggestion of caramel flavor due to
the GENERALIZATION of a part Of the
sugar in making.
Milling
It must be remembered that the
larger the amount of juice extracted
from the cane, the greater will be
the amount of syrup realized. This
point needs to be emphasized in con-
nection with the use Of small two
roller mills. Better results will be
obtained with a three.rolIer mill
than with a two-roller mill.
Clarifying the Juice
The raw juice coming from the
mill should pass into storage tanks.
These may simply be rough barrels
or metal or concrete tanks. These
tanks or barrels should. be provided
with fine sieve Or mesh screen to
remove particles of cane, dirt, etc.
1t is preferable to have at least three
tanks so that one tank may be filled
while another is being emptied and
the third tank provided for the set
Ting of the juice. There are two
methods of clarifying sugar cane
juice in general use. One process
consists essentially in treating the
juice freshly expressed with fumes
of burning sulphur (SO2) and milk
of lime. The juice is heated and the
coagulated impurities allowed to set
tie or removed by settling and skim
ming, after which the clear liquid
is evaporated to syrup.
The other and simpler process con-
sists in heating the juice and skim
ming off the coagulated material
which rises as the juice becomes hot.
Both of these methods have serious
disadvantages. In the first case, the
chemicals used in Qualification often
injure the flavor of the syrup. Too
much lime makes the syrup very
dark and too much sulphur dioXide
gives it metallic taste. The second
and simpler method of Qualification
is slow and wasteful, and, unless
very carefully executed, the clarified
ton Is not complete.
A new method of clarifying cane
juice has been worked out with
resulting clear syrup free from dirt
and dredge and at the same time
retaining its natural flavor. This
process consists of filtering the juice
with a small amount of infusorial
earth. This new method of clarifca-
ton is not considered practicable,
however. from the standpoint of the
individual farmer who raises only A
few acres Of cane and makes this
cane into syrup by his own labor
and that of his hired help.
In this latter case, a good cheap
filter may be made as follows: Make
a wooden box four to six feet long,
sixteen inches wide and sixteen
inches deep. Bore a hole in one end
near the top. Clean, tightly packed
straw should fill the box. The juice
from the mill should enter the box
from one end and pass out the hole
in the other end. The straw causes
the impurities to be deposited by the
juice as it percolates through, max
ing the juice which comes out of the
box require less Swimming and MAX
ing a better syrup. The box must
be cleaned with water twice a day
and the straw replaced by new. The
old straw should be run through the
mill to press out the juice.
In addition to this filtering, the
juice should be SKINNED during the
evaporation process. When the raw
juice is heated, p coagulation of the
albuminous matter occurs, causing it
to rise to the surface where it can
be SKINNED off.
Naturalization
In certain seasons and with GER
tain varieties of cane, the raw juice
may be high in acid. To partially
ncutralizo this acid, lime is added by