IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR AND OTHER ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES FROM BEET- ROOT
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Fuller Guy, of Bury St. Edmund's, in
the County of Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR AND OTHER ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES FROM BEET-
ROOT."
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 23rd March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Fuller Guy
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd March 1868.
1, GEORGE FULLER GUY, of Bury St. Edmund's, in the County of
Suffolk, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR AND OTHER ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES FROM
BEETROOT," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture
of sugar and other alimentary substances from beetroot. I take the
whole roots after cleaning and before rasping, and submit them to heat
either by steaming, acting upon them by hot air, or any other means, by
which the roots so treated may be heated to such a temperature for such
Price Sd.]

page_text: a time as may cook them, or act upon them in such a manner that their
tissue may be softened, and the albumen contained in them be more or
less coagulated in the root itself. When the root has been thus treated
it is not necessary to rasp it as is usually practised, but it is at once
pressed. The pressing will be found to be much facilitated and a richer
and purer juice is obtained, requiring less defecation than the juice from
the raw root. The pulp is also much improved for the purpose of
cattle feeding, owing to the removal by these means of its purgative
properties. I also in some cases treat the pulp by drying it through
the agency of artificial heat or otherwise in order to preserve it for
any length of time. Ordinary beetroot pulp may be similarly dried.
By the aforesaid means the resulting syrups, the sugars, and molasses
are improved by the removal of all earthy and unpleasant taste or flavour
which more or less affects syrups, sugars, and molasses obtained from
beetroot in the ordinary way.
By my Invention also the tendencies of the juices to discolor and
spoil by exposure to the air before defecating is removed, as the beet
so treated, or expressed juice therefrom, may be kept several days without
injury.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Fuller Guy in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FULLER GUY, of Bury St. Edmund's, in the County of Suffolk, send
greeting.
WHEREAS
Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Fuller Guy, Her special licence
that I, the said George Fuller Guy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as 1, the said George Fuller Guy, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term

page_text: therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR AND OTHER ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES FROM BEET-
ROOT," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Fuller Guy, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
mamer the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE. that I, the said George Fuller Guy, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture
of sugar and other alimentary substances from beetroot. I take the
whole roots after cleaning and before rasping, and submit them to heat
either by steaming, acting upon them by hot air, or any other means by
which the roots so treated may be heated to such a temperature for such
a time as may cook them, or act upon them in such a manner that their
tissue may be softened and the albumen contained in them be more or
less coagulated in the root itself. When the root has been thus treated
it is not necessary to rasp it as is usually practised, but it is at once
pressed. The pressing will be found to be much facilitated, and a richer
and
purer juice is obtained requiring less defecation than the juice from
the raw root. The pulp is also much improved for the purpose
cattle feeding, owing to the removal by these means of its purgative
properties. I also in some cases treat the pulp by drying it through
the agency of artificial heat or otherwise in order to preserve it for
any length of time.
Ordinary beetroot pulp may be similarly dried.
By the aforesaid means the resulting syrups, the sugars, and molasses
are improved by the removal of all earthy and unpleasant taste or flavor
which more or less affects syrups, sugars, and molasses obtained from
beetroot in the ordinary way.
of
By my Invention also the tendencies of the juices to discolor and
spoil by exposure to the air before defecating is removed, as the beet

page_text: so treated or expressed juice therefrom may be kept several days without
injury.
The following is the manner in which I prefer to conduct the
process take the roots and after washing and cleaning them I
submit them to the action of heat (by preference that of steam) in a closed
vessel of any shape or form which may be most convenient, such as an
ordinary barrel, into which steam is introduced from a boiler, and provision
made for filling and emptying by temporarily removing the head, or a
vessel so constructed that the roots may be fed in at the top and removed
at bottom by any suitable arrangement and fitted with a drain to take off
condensed water, or in any apparatus of whatever form or description it
be in which the roots may be sufficiently heated by any means to such a
temperature and for such a time that they may be thoroughly cooked,
which may be known by their being completely softened throughout;
I then press them without rasping, this process being rendered unne-
cessary owing to the softening of the roots by the heat; I then treat the
resulting juice in any of the ordinary well-known ways in which cane
or beet juice is treated to obtain sugar therefrom. The pulp from the
press I form into cakes and dry by exposure to air, hot air, or any of
the ordinary means employed for dessicating similar moist substances,
after which I use it for feeding cattle, and in which state it will keep
good for any length of time. By treating the roots as above the
molasses resulting from the sugar will be much improved as an article
of commerce, all the nauseous smell and taste of ordinary beet molasses
being absent both from it and the sugar so obtained; the cake obtained
from the press after dessicating will keep without any special arrange-
ments and for any length of time, and may be stored or used, as may
suit convenience; the process of rasping may be dispensed with; neither
is the juice so susceptible of injury by exposure to the air or contact
of various substances as that obtained from the raw roots in the
ordinary way.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be used or carried out, I would
observe in conclusion that which I consider novel and original and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent,-
First. I claim the cooking of the roots of the beet by steam or
otherwise before expressing the juice therefrom,

page_text: Secondly. I claim the forming the pulp from which the juice has been
xpressed into cakes and dessicating it in order to its preservation.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Fuller Guy, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
GEORGE FULLER GUY. (L.S.)