IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALT."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Sézille, of Levallois-Perret, in the
Department of Seine, in the Republic of France, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALT."
"
Sealed the 4th January 1876, and dated the 9th July 1875.

page_text: the labour and the expense of fuel in the course of manufacture, at the
same time the green and dry malt is concentrated in a smaller compass.
Secondly. To increase the deposit of saccharine matter in the
boiler.
And, Thirdly. To impart to the product of manufacture a finer,
better, and more aromatic flavour.
All cereals may be submitted to this chemical process of decortication.
The time required for the operation would naturally vary with the
quantity and the nature and thickness of the cortical or liqneous
envelope of the grains. Barley being the principal grain employed for
malt in the manufacturo of beer I take this grain as a basis for the
description of the process.
I take 100 kilogrammes of barley, well cleaned, which I place in a
recipient lined with lead and of an elongated form, I sprincle on it from
8 to 10 per cent. of sulphuric acid at 66 degrees Beaumé, it is then well
stirred for 7 or 8 minutes so that the husk of the grain is uniformly
absorbed and impregnated with sulphuric acid, after which the barley
commences to blacken, it is then allowed to rest a few minutes and is
then again stirred. A decided carbonisation takes place, but which
takes effect on the husk on account of the affinity of the sulphuric acid
to the ligneous matters. The grain is moreover protected by a fatty
and colouring matter found on the husk, which treated with boiling
water and 3 to 4 per cent. of carbonate of soda produces a beautiful
deep orange colour. It is then riused in cold water whilst continually
stirring, it is then decanted, and the water is changed 5 or 6 times in a
the space of 10 to 12 hours so as to remove all traces of the acid, and in
order that the grain should absorb sufficient water to be submitted to
the malting process. In this state the grain is nearly white, no traces
of pellicle remain except a fine film which covers and has protected the
grain. The malting is then conducted as usual.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexandre Sézille in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDRE
SÉZILLE, of Levallois-Perret, in the Department of Seine, in the Republic
of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in tho
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexandre Sézille, Her
special licence that I, the said Alexandre Sézille, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexandre
Sézille, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALT," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexandre Sézille, 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 manner
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 Alexandre Sézille, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The new process of manufacturing malt, forming the subject of the
present Invention, is based on the prior chemical decortication or
barking of the cereals anterior to germination. The object of this
decortication is as follows:-
1st. To free the grain from inert and even injurious matters which
would tend to increase manual labour and augment the cost of com❤

page_text: bustibles in the course of manufacture, with the advantage that green
and dry malt are concentrated in a smaller volume.
2nd. To increase the yield of saccharine matter in the boiler with a
decrease of residue.
3rd. To give to the products a finer taste, make them clearer and
more aromatic.
vary
All cereals may be subjected to this mode of barking before proceeding
to germination. The length of time together with the quantity of matter
to be employed in barking (which operation is purely chemical) would
in accordance with the nature and thickness of the cortical envelope
of the grain. The rapidity of barking depends on the thinness of the
corticle or ligneous envelope. For instance, wheat requires from 15 to 30
minutes, according to the temperature, and from 5 to 6 per cent. of the
chemical agent, calculated on the total weight of the grain to be barked;
rye requires a little longer and 7 to 8 per cent. of the chemicals; barley
requires to 1 hour, and 8 to 10 per cent. of the chemical; oats, 1 to
2 hours, and 15 to 18 per cent. of the chemical. Barley being the
principal cereal employed in the manufacture of malt it is this grain I
shall take as a basis for describing my process.
Description. I take 100 kilogrammes, or about 225 lbs., of barley,
which it is as well to first free from dust or light minute grains which
would absorb a pure loss of chemicals, the barley is then placed in a
recipient lined with lead of elongated form that it may be the more
easily shoveled and turned about, from 8 to 10 per cent. of sulphuric
acid at 66 degrees Beaumé is then sprinkled on it, it is then briskly
agitated for 7 or 8 minutes so that the bark of the grain uniformly
absorbs and is impregnated with the sulphuric acid. It is more
economical and convenient to use troughs with mechanical agitators.
A continuous decortication can be sustained by using 5 or 6 archimedian
screws of a capacity and length suitable to the amount of work to
perform; these screws placed one above the other commence to work
from the top, communicating with one another at one of the ends by a
trap which is shut and opened as desired; they turn gently, and the
movement is arranged so that the grain equally spread or distributed by
a sieve is sprinkled in its passage with a thread or jet of sulphuric acid
coming from an upper reservoir and falling in the first screw, and from
thence passes through the trap of the second, and so on till it reaches
the last screw completely barked and ready for washing.

page_text: In making use of simple troughs without agitators the effect is as
follows: After 7 or 8 minutes the barley commences to blacken, it is
allowed to rest some moments to recommence stirring, with intervals of
of an hour to 1 hour, the mass of barley is now black and viscous or
gummy, and forms agglomerations which it is always requisite to dis-
aggregate with the shovel during the operation. A veritable carboniza-
tion is effected which has only acted on the bark of the grain on account
of the greater affinity of the sulphuric acid to the ligneous matter, the
body of the grain is moreover protected by a fatty and colouring matter
which lies beneath the bark, and gives when treated with boiling water
and 3 to 4 per cent. of carbonate of soda a beautifully deep orange
colour. It is rinsed in cold water whilst continually agitating it, it is
decanted, and the water is changed as many times as necessary, so that
no traces of sulphuric acid remain, and in order that the grain may
absorb as much water as is requisite for placing it in the malt house.
The water of the first washing with the addition of the pellicle and
the azotic matters which are beneath the pellicle constitute an excellent
manure. In this state the grain is nearly white, no traces of pellicle
remain with the exception of a fine thin scale or lamina which covers
and protects the embryo from whence the radical and plumule shoot.
Germination is effected and follows all the phases, as in the germination
of barley, covered with the pellicle. The other operations, such as
drying in the kiln, crushing, and so forth, are effected in the ordinary
manner.
A few traces of sulphuric acid may be purposely left in the barley by
not changing the steeping water so frequently. This hastens germina-
tion and preserves the malt from alterations which communicate them-
selves to the beer and may engender lactic and putrid fermentations.
The advantages of my process may be summed up as follows:
-
1. Only useful substances are placed in the malt house, and these in
the smallest compass, drying the bark in the kiln is obviated, its spongy
nature absorbing in itself double its weight in water, and at the same
time doubling its volume.
2. Germination is more complete as the plumule is extracted, more
saccharine matter is obtained in steeping, as the points of contact of the
amylaceous matter with the water are no longer impeded by the sides

page_text: of the bark, and the reaction of the diastase is better effected; having
little residue I loose less saccharine matter in the water it absorbs.
3. The products manufactured are clearer, finer, and more aromatic,
as the colouring matter of the bark is eliminated before steeping.
4. The decortication of cereals by my process admits of making
products for soups, whether raw or cooked in grain in boiling water,
dried, and pulverized in the same way as grits, tapioca, sago, and so on.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Sézille, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
ALEXANDRE SÉZILLE. (L.S.)