IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLOOD ALBUMEN to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF BLOOD ALBUMEN to be as follows:-
"
The method at present in use for manufacturing blood albumen has many
disadvantages. It consists in pouring the fresh blood into small vessels in which
it is left standing for 20 to 30 hours. During this time the blood coagulates and
forms into a homogeneous mass from which serum gradually separates. In this
separation many of the red blood corpuscles accompany the serum and gradually
settle at the bottom of the vessel. The clear serum is now poured off with the
utmost care, and best blood albumen is obtained from it, but the product forms
only say 20 to 25 per cent of the whole, as the slightest shaking stirs up the
corpusclos from the bottom of the vessel and gives a more or less red tinge to the
otherwise almost colorless serum.
Albumen being subject to very rapid decomposition does not admit of the
settling of the serum being repeated several times, but the liquor which is not
perfectly clear can only be used for a second quality, and the bottom sediment for
an article of third quality.
The liquors obtained are generally dried in small metal troughs in well ventilated
drying rooms but as this drying process requires a long time the albumen when
dried is often found to be in a more or less putrid state which greatly diminishes
its value.
According to this invention the blood intended for the manufacture of the
albumen is freed by stirring, wisping or by other like mechanical means from the
fibrine and is afterwards subjected to careful straining or filtering in order to
remove from it all mechanical impurities. When a fine and almost colorless
albumen is wanted 100 to 1000 Grammes of sugar dissolved in blood and a similar
quantity of very pure volatile oil such for instance as paraffin or turpentine is
carefully mixed with 100 kilos of blood. The sugar which does not in the
slightest affect the chemical purity of the product greatly facilitates the preservation
of the albumen from decomposition and putrification during the succeeding drying
process. The volatile oil makes the serum clear and almost colorless and as only
thoroughly pure oil must be used it evaporates during the drying process and
leaves no injurious ingredients behind which is very important as otherwise in

page_text: using the albumen for printing purposes when it has to be mixed with various
chemicals, precipitates injurious to the coloring might easily appear as is the case
with several of the so called "patent bleached albumens."
The blood prepared in this way is then allowed to run in a spray or jet into a
centrifugal machine revolving at a high speed. The comparatively heavy blood
particles separate and remain on the periphery whilst the serum on account of its
lightness passes towards the centre. The blood particles and the serum are forced
out through separate passages or apertures and are collected separately. Should
the serum not be perfectly clear or have a reddish tint a further quantity of
volatile oil is added and the whole is well stirred for 5 to 15 minutes.
The solution is then concentrated in vacuo or by other means but the former
is to be preferred. The final drying of the mass can be effected in flat vessels
but great care must always be taken that the temperature never exceeds
45°, 50° Centigrade and the best possible ventilation of the drying room is also
of the greatest importance in order to obtain a good article.
By using the process herein described a first class albumen can be obtained from
the whole mass of blood operated upon and this of a superior quality to that
manufactured by the old process-space and labour also are saved.

page_text: I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Engineer 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 :—
The method at present in use for manufacturing albumen from blood has many
disadvantages. It consists in pouring the fresh blood into small vessels in which
it is left standing for 20 to 30 hours during which time the blood coagulates and
forms itself into a homogeneous mass from which serum gradually separates. In
the separation many of the red particles accompany the serum and gradually settle
at the bottom of the vessel. The clear serum is then poured off with the utmost
care and best blood albumen is obtained therefrom, but the product forms only 20
to 30 per cent of the whole, the very slightest trepidation being enough to stir up
the particles from the bottom and give a more or less red tinge to the otherwise
almost colorless serum.
Albumen being subject to very rapid decomposition does not admit of the
setting of the serum being repeated several times the liquor which is not perfectly
clear can only be used for a second quality and the bottom sediment for an article
of third quality. The liquors obtained are generally dried in small metal troughs
which are placed in well ventilated drying rooms but as this drying process
requires a long time, the albumen when dried is often found to be in a more or less
putrid state which greatly diminishes its value.
In this my invention the blood intended for the manufacture of albumen is
freed from the fibrine by stirring or wisping by mechanical or other means and is
afterwards subjected to careful straining or filtering in order to remove from it all
mechanical impurities.
When a fine and almost colourless albumen is wanted 100 to 1000 grammes of
sugar dissolved in blood and a similar quantity of purest volatile oil, such for
instance as paraffin, is carefully mixed with 100 kilogram. of blood. The sugar
which does not in the slightest way affect the chemical purity of the product
greatly facilitates the separation of the serum and preserves the same from
decomposition and putrefaction during the succeeding drying process.
The volatile oil makes the serum clear and almost colourless and as only a
thoroughly pure oil is used it evaporates during the drying process and leaves
behind no injurious ingredients which is a very important thing as otherwise in
using the albumen for printing purposes when it has to be mixed with various
chemicals, precipitates, injurious to the colouring might easily appear as is often
the case with some of the so called bleached albumens The blood prepared in this
way is then allowed to run into a centrifugal machine whilst revolving at a high
speed. It is important that the blood should not be precipitated from any height
into the centrifugal machine but should be slowly poured in at the bottom and
centrally as otherwise the blood cells might be crushed which must be avoided if a
perfectly pure serum is to be obtained.

page_text: The comparatively heavy blood particles separate and remain on the periphery
while the serum on account of its less specific gravity passes towards the centre.
The blood particles and the serum are forced out through separate passages or
apertures and collected separately. The machine employed is such as is used for
the separation of cream from milk. Should the serum not be perfectly clear or
have a reddish tint a further quantity of volatile oil is added and the whole is well
stirred for 5 to 15 minutes. The solution is then concentrated in vacuum or by
other means but the former is to be preferred. The final drying of the mass
can be effected in flat vessels but great care must always be taken that the
temperature never exceeds 45 to 50 Centigrades and the best possible ventilation
of the drying room is also of great importance for obtaining a good article.
°
By the process herein described as much as 80% of serum can be obtained all
of which will yield albumen of first quality only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
(1.) My improvements in the manufacture of blood albumen consisting in
separating by stirring or wisking the fibrine from blood then adding to the serum
sugar and a volatile oil, afterwards separating the heavier particles by centrifugal
action and finally evaporating and drying the albumen substantially as described.
(2.) My improvement in the manufacture of blood albumen consisting in the
employment of sugar and a volatile oil or either of them substantially as described.
(3.) My improvement in the manufacture of blood albumen consisting in the
separation from serum of blood corpuscles by passing the material through a
centrifugal machine substantially as described.
}
(4.) My improvements in the manufacture of blood albumen substantially as
described.