IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF STARCH, FECULA, AND DEXTRINE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City
**
of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF STARCH, FECULA,
AND DEXTRINE." A communication from abroad by Charles Vidal, of Marseilles,
France.
Sealed the 17th October 1879, and dated the 28th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th April 1879.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR
PREPARATION OF STARCH, FECULA, AND DEXTRINE." [A communication from abroad
by Charles Vidal, of Marseilles, France.]
Hitherto starch has been prepared and sold in the form of sticks, lumps, or
powder. These different forms have certain drawbacks both with regard to
manufacture and sale.
There are two modes of drying starch, viz., in a stove and by exposure to air. In
both cases the drying is very slow on account of the size which it is desirable to
give to the lumps or pieces in order that they may be prepared for the market in as
large a size as possible. A crust forms on the surface of the pieces which has after-
wards to be scraped off. This scraping constitutes a waste which in some seasons
is sometimes very considerable when the drying is effected by exposure to air.
Starch when dried in a stove is generally packed before complete dessication;
when the dessication becomes complete the piece or lump splits up into sticks or
prismatic columns, and although the form is preserved the sticks frequently pierce
the paper or wrapper, and thus the packing is defective; besides, regular packets
and of a fixed weight cannot be obtained. With regard to starch dried by exposure
to air it is generally put loosely into boxes in the form of lumps; the box having
been filled a first time it is necessary to beat down the starch and then to fill the
box again, and so on until no more starch can be put in. This very defective mode
of packing cannot however be avoided, for if the starch were not beaten down

page_text: the lumps would be reduced to small pieces and powder by the simple fact of
transport.
The consumer naturally prefers the starch in large lumps or pieces which are
considered a guarantee of the purity of the article, in fact the powder always
contains more or less dust added in course of time; it may also contain inert bodies
such as sulphate and carbonate of lime added fraudulently.
The object of the present Invention is to overcome the objections and drawbacks
above pointed out by giving greater cohesion to the product. For this purpose the
product, whatever be its form, is enclosed in a case and submitted to energetic
pressure. The particles of starch become agglomerated under the action of this
pressure and a solid block is produced; this block retains exactly the form of
the mould and is capable of resisting the influences which deteriorate ordinary
starch.
I have before remarked that the slowness of the dessication, whether in the stove
or by exposure to the air, arises from the necessity of obtaining pieces or lumps of
large size.
This slowness is avoided by the employment of the present Invention
which allows of the wet starch being cut into pieces as small as may be wished, as
they will afterwards be agglomerated, and the dessication will be more or less rapid
in proportion to the pieces being more or less small. The scraping and the waste
which it causes are likewise avoided. With regard to packing the starch, it will be
effected more rapidly as the blocks will be of a fixed weight and uniform size; the
starch will also be of less bulk in proportion to its weight..
The Invention allows of utilizing certain amylaceous substances which have not
hitherto been utilized on account of the great friability of their starch.
In carrying out this Invention I employ moulds in which I compress the starch
by means of a hydraulic press; other modes of pressing may however be
employed.
The Invention is also applicable to fecula and dextrine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st October 1879.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR
PREPARATION OF STARCH, FECULA, AND DEXTRINE." A communication from abroad
by Charles Vidal, of Marseilles, France.
Hitherto starch has been prepared and sold in the form of "crystals," lumps, or
powder. These different forms have certain drawbacks both with regard to
inanufacture and sale.
There are two modes of drying starch, viz., in a stove and by exposure to air. In
both cases the drying is very slow on account of the size which it is desirable to
give to the crystals, lumps, or pieces in order that they may be prepared for the
market as large as possible. A crust forms on the surface of the pieces which has
afterwards to be scraped off; this scraping constitutes a waste which in some
seasons is sometimes very considerable when the drying is effected by exposure
to air.
Starch when dried in a stove is generally packed before complete desiccation ;
when the desiccation becomes complete the piece or lump splits up into crystals or
prismatic columns, and although the form is preserved the crystals frequently pierce
the paper or wrapper, and thus the packing is defective; besides regular packets
and of a fixed weight cannot be obtained. With regard to starch dried by exposure
to air it is generally put loosely into boxes in the form of lumps. The box having
been filled a first time it is necessary to beat down the starch, then to fill the box
again, and so on until no more starch can be put in; this very defective mode of
packing cannot however be avoided, for if the starch were not beaten down the
lumps would be reduced to small pieces and powder by the simple fact of
transport.
The consumer naturally prefers the starch in large crystals or pieces which are
considered a guarantee of the purity of the article; in fact the powder always
contains more or less dust added in course of time; it may also contain inert bodies
such as sulphate and carbonate of lime added fraudulently.
The object of the present Invention is to overcome the objections and drawbacks
above pointed out by giving greater cohesion to the product.
For this purpose
the product, whatever be its form, is enclosed in a case and submitted to energetic
pressure. The particles of starch become agglomerated under the action of this
pressure and a solid block is produced. This block retains exactly the form of
the mould and is capable of resisting the influences which deteriorate ordinary
starch.
I have before remarked that the slowness of the desiccation, whether in the stove
or by exposure to the air, arises from the necessity of obtaining pieces or lumps of
large size. This slowness is avoided by the employment of the present Invention,
which allows of the wet starch being cut into pieces as small as may be wished, as
they will afterwards be agglomerated and the desiccation will be more or less rapid
in proportion to the pieces being more or less small. The scraping and the waste
which it causes are likewise avoided. With regard to packing the starch, it will
be effected more rapidly as the blocks will be of a fixed weight and uniform size;
the starch will also be of less bulk in proportion to its weight.
The Invention allows of utilizing certain amylaceous substances which have not
hitherto been utilized on account of the great friability of their starch.
In carrying out this Invention I employ moulds in which I compress the starch
by means of a hydraulic press; other modes of pressing may however be
employed.
The Invention is also applicable to fecula and dextrine.

page_text: And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,―
Subinitting starch, fecula, or dextrine to hydraulic or other pressure in order to
agglomerate them or form them into blocks, substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clayton Mewburn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty first day of October, One thousand eight
bundred and seventy nine.
J. C. MEWBURN. (L.S.)