Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Sugar, Syrups, Alcohol, and Beer.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug.,
1894
[Communicated from abroad by ALOYS LOUIS TÉDESCO, of 42, Boulevard
Bonne-Nouvelle, Paris, in the Republic of France, Chemical Engineer.]
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Sugar, Syrups,
Alcohol, and Beer.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of sugar, syrups, alcohol or spirits and
beer.
It has been proved by experience that solutions of starch or amylaceous materials,
to which mineral or vegetable acids are added, and which are submitted to boiling
at a high steam pressure, are transformed into sugar with rapidity and in a
sufficiently complete manner.
Furthermore, it is known that in distillery amylaceous substances, such as whole
or divided grain of any kind or whole or divided tubercles of various categories
are boiled at a high steam pressure for the purpose of disaggregating therefrom the
starch or fecula with a view to an ulterior saccharification by means of malt
diastase, or that the before-mentioned products are boiled, mineral or vegetable
acids being added thereto for saccharifying them directly.
These processes have, however, the great inconvenience that the sugar, syrups
or saccharine liquors produced under the action of the high steam pressure
encounter a cause of partial decomposition in the effect which contributes to their
nascency. The high temperature which accompanies the high pressure gives rise
to a visible caramelization by a more or less strong coloration of the liquors of
sugar.
From this results, on the one hand, a depreciation in the yield of pure sugar,
and on the other hand the necessity for decolorizing the liquors by the employment
of large quantities of animal charcoal or other filtering materials. The advantages
of the saccharification under high steam pressure are therefore almost entirely
counterbalanced from the industrial point of view by the before-mentioned
inconveniences.
I have ascertained by a series of industrial trials that the saccharification of
solutions of starch or amylaceous materials are accentuated by an appropriate and
constant movement of the boiled material, but that the augmentation of the heat
beyond 110 to 120 degrees centigrade, instead of increasing the saccharification, is
on the contrary the cause of imperfection.
The effect of inversion and liquefaction is due solely to the expansion, and not
to the heating action of the steam beyond a certain degree.
For obviating the before-mentioned inconveniences I prevent in my improved
process the deleterious augmentation of heat by introducing air or sulphurous acid
or other compressed gases into the saccharifying vessel or boiler until the desired
pressure is obtained and so as to impart at the same time to the material a
a continual movement till the complete inversion of the starch into sugar has been
effected, or in the case of the manufacture of syrups till the complete reaction of
iodine has taken place. For the manufacture of syrups my process offers the
great advantage of enabling the inversion to be obtained by means of much smaller
quantities of acids than those employed in the ordinary processes, and the time of
the operation to be perceptibly shortened.
Similar advantages are gained by operating upon the worts from the distilleries,

page_text: breweries or maltose factories prior to being inverted by the malt diastase, the
invertive action of which is sufficiently utilized at the temperature not appreciably
exceeding 60 degrees centigrade in the open air.
I treat those worts from distilleries, breweries and maltose factories to which the
necessary quantity of malt is added at the temperature of about 60 degrees
centigrade in closed saccharifying vessels, air or compressed gases being also added
as before stated.
In this manner I obtain a complete inversion of the starch or fecula by the aid of
much smaller quantities of malt than those necessitated for the saccharification in
the open air.
Moreover, I have ascertained by a series of experiments that the employment of
nitric acid enables the complete inversion of the amylaceous materials into sugar to
be effected, and that under great pressure it is sufficient to employ only very small
quantities of this acid.
The saccharine liquors thus inverted will be decolorized in proportion as the
temperature of saccharification has been moderated.
The worts, whether derived from potatoes or other tubers, grain, maize, rice,
sorghum or fecula, to which one-half per cent. or more or less nitric acid has been
added, are liquefied by steam in a suitable saccharifying vessel of wood or
enamelled cast iron. The most appropriate temperature is 100 degrees
centigrade.
When the liquefaction has been effected the steam is shut off and I compress air
or similar gases to the suitable pressure in the saccharifying vessel.
As soon as the saccharification of the acidified liquors is complete the latter are
caused to pass into an apparatus wherein a vacuum has been produced in order to
free them from the acid.
The acidified liquors arrive in the vacuum apparatus in the form of fine spray,
which causes their rapid cooling. The steam is saturated with very volatile nitric
acid so that no trace of the same will remain in the liquors which may be treated
either for the purpose of manufacturing alcohol, spirits, or syrups of dextrose or
crystallized or amorphous dextrose sugar.
Dated this 7th day of May 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Sugar, Syrups,
Alcohol, and Beer.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement :-.
My invention relates to the manufacture of sugar, syrups, alcohol or spirits and
beer.
It has been proved by experience that solutions of starch or amylaceous
materials, to which mineral or vegetable acids are added, and which are submitted
to boiling at a high steam pressure, are transformed into sugar with rapidity and in
sufficiently complete manner.
Furthermore, it is known that in distillery amylaceous substances, such as whole
or divided grain of any kind or whole or divided tubercles of various categories
are boiled at a high steam pressure for the purpose of disaggregating these from
the starch as fecula with a view to an ulterior saccharification by means of malt

page_text: diastase, or that the before-mentioned products are boiled, mineral or vegetable
acids being added thereto for saccharifying them directly.
These processes have, however, the great inconvenience that the sugar, syrups or
saccharine liquors produced under the action of the high steam pressure encounter
a cause of partial decomposition in the effect which contributes to their nascency..
The high temperature which accompanies the high pressure gives rise to a visible
caramelization by a more or less strong coloration of the liquors of sugar.
From this results, on the one hand, a depreciation in the yield of pure sugar, and
on the other hand the necessity for decolorizing the liquors by the employment of
large quantities of animal charcoal or other filtering inaterials. The advantages
of the saccharification under high steam pressure are therefore almost entirely
counterbalanced from the industrial point of view by the before mentioned
inconveniences.
I have ascertained by a series of industrial trials that the saccharification of
solutions of starch or amylaceous materials are accentuated by an appropriate and
constant movement of the boiled material, but that the augmentation of the heat
beyond 110 to 120 degrees centigrade, instead of increasing the saccharification, is
on the contrary the cause of imperfection.
The effect of inversions and liquefaction is due solely to the expansion, and not
to the heating action of the steam beyond a certain degree.
For obviating the before-mentioned inconveniences I prevent in my improved
process the deleterious augmentation of heat by introducing air or sulphurous acid
or other compressed gases into the saccharifying vessel or boiler until the desired
pressure is obtained and so as to impart at the same time to the material a continual
movement till the complete inversion of the starch into sugar has been effected, or
in the case of the manufacture of syrups, till the complete reaction of iodine has
taken place. For the manufacture of syrups my process offers the great advantage
of enabling the inversion to be obtained by means of much smaller quantities of
acids than those employed in the ordinary processes, and the time of the operation
to be perceptibly shortened.
Similar advantages are gained by operating upon the worts from the distilleries,
breweries or maltose factories, prior to being inverted by the malt diastase the
invertive action of which is sufficiently utilized at the temperature not appreciably
exceeding 60 degrees centigrade in the open air.
I treat those worts from distilleries, breweries and maltose factories to which
the necessary quantity of malt is added at the temperature of about 60 degrees
centigrade in closed saccharifying vessels, air or compressed gases being also added
as before stated.
In this manner I obtain a complete inversion of the starch or fecula by the aid
of much smaller quantities of malt than those necessitated for the saccharification
in the open air.
Moreover I have ascertained by a series of experiments that the employment of
nitric acid enables the complete inversions of the amylaceous materials into sugar
to be effected, and that under great pressure it is sufficient to employ only very
small quantities of this acid.
The saccharine liquors thus inverted will be decolorized in proportion as the
temperature of saccharification has been moderated.
The worts, whether derived from potatoes maniocs, topinambers (Jerusalem
artichoke) or other tubers, grain, maize, rice, sorghum or fecula, to which one-
half per cent. or more or less nitric acid has been added, are liquefied by steam in a
suitable saccharifying vessel of wood or enamelled cast iron, the most appropriate
temperature is 100 degrees centigrade.
When the liquefaction has been effected the steam is shut off and I compress air
or suitable gases to the suitable pressure in the saccharifying vessel.
As soon as the saccharification of the acidified liquor is complete the latter are
caused to pass into an apparatus wherein a vacuum has been produced in order to
free them from the acid.

page_text: The acidified liquors arrive in the vacuum apparatus in the form of fine spray,
which causes their rapid cooling. The drum is saturated with very volatile nitric
acid so that no trace of the saine will remain in the liquors which may be treated
either for the purpose of manufacturing alcohol, spirits, or syrups of dextrose or
crystallized or amorphous dextrose sugar.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
First. The process of boiling and saccharifying in a closed vessel solutions of
fecula or starch, to which are added mineral or vegetable acids for the purpose of
their inversion into syrups or into crystallized or amorphous dextrose sugar,
substantially as herein set forth.
Second. The process of boiling and saccharifying in a closed vessel amylaceous
products, such as grain, maize, rice, sorghum, and also potatoes maniocs,
topinambers, to which are added mineral or vegetable acids, for the purpose of
their inversion for the manufacture of syrups, dextrose sugar, alcohol or spirits, the
temperature of the boiling being limited to 110 to 120 degrees centigrade, and with
a compression of air or other gases in the boiling or saccharifying vessel, sub-
stantially as herein before set forth.
Third. The process of saccharifying in closed vessels worts from the distilleries,
breweries or maltose factories, which are to be inverted by the aid of malt diastase,
the temperature being regulated to about 60 degrees centigrade and with com-
pression of air or other gases in the saccharifying vessel, substantially as herein
set forth.
Fourth. For the process of saccharifying worts as described in the third claim
the employment, in lieu of malt diastase, of nitric acid which can be completely
evacuated in the vacuum, substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 14th dor of June 1801
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.