IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STARCH
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I JAMES
COLMAN of Stoke Holy Cross in the County of Norfolk Starch Manufacturer
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain bearing dato at West-
minster the Ninth day of December in the fifth year of Her reign did for
Herself Her heirs and successors give and grant unto me the said James
Colman Her especial license full power sole privilege and authority that I
the said James Colman my exors adññiors and assigns or such others as I
the said James Colman my exors admors or assigns should at any time
agree with and no others from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed should and lawfully might make use exercise and
vend within England Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STARCH" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I the said James Colman shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent as in and by the same
reference being thereunto had will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE that in compliance with the said proviso I the said
James Colman do hereby declare the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed are fully described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof (that is to say)

page_text: In manufacturing starch as heretofore practised it has been usual to employ
wheat and some attempts have been lately made to use rice as a material for
manufacture of starch and Patents have been obtained for means of making
starch from rice.
Now the first part of my Invention relates to a mode of manufacturing
starch by the application of maize or Indian corn.
Secondly my Invention relates to a mode of manufacturing starch by the
application of barley.
Thirdly my Invention relates to a mode of obtaining fermentation of rice
(when manufacturing starch therefrom) by the application of the offal of
wheat or other grain or some woody fibrous matter and
Fourthly my Invention relates to a mode of manufacturing starch from rice
by the application of acid.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to explain the means pursued by me.
Description of the Process of Manufacturing Starch from Maize or Indian
Corn. I put the maize or Indian corn into a vessel and cover it with water
in order to soften it. After soaking three or four days the water is to bo
drawn off either by a tap or plug-hole at the bottom of the vessel or with a
syphon. The maize or Indian corn is then to be reduced to a fine pulp or
creamy state by passing it through rollers or levigators or by other mechanical
means adapted to such purposes. In this part in this part of the process it
will be necessary to use water with the maize or Indian corn into a vessel
and allow it to remain till the firmentation has separated the starch from other
matters which I have found will be done in about twolvo or fifteen days (if it
should be found after passing it through the rollers or levigators there is too
much water so that the fermentation will be impeded I then by means of a
syphon or tap draw off a portion of the water). I then wash the starch
through sieves which is allowed to settle in a frame and which is afterwards
washed strained and finished in the usual way of manufacturing wheat starch.
I would remark that although I have been particular in describing the usual
means pursued by me and which I believe to be the best yet I do not confine
the operation thereto so long as the peculiar character of this part of my
Invention be retained whereby the maize or Indian corn is acted on in a
suitable manner to dissolve or separate the gluten and other matters and thus
to obtain the separation of starch therefrom. And I would state that in place
of simply fermenting maize or Indian corn the process of separating the
gluten and other matters may be performed by means of a dilute caustic
alkali as follows I make a solution of real soda or real potash and dilute it

page_text: till by means of a test acid I find the solution to contain two hundred grains
of real soda or real potash to the gallon. To every fifty-six pounds of maize
or Indian corn which has been previously soaked and levigated as before
mentioned I add fifty-six gallons of the solution which must be well mixed
I allow it to remain three days stirring it every three hours and then having
allowed it to settle eighteen hours I draw off the solution or brown liquor
with a syphon or tap I then make another solution one half the strongth of
the former and add it to the maize or Indian corn in the proportions before
mentioned I allow it to remain two days taking care to stir it well once in
every three hours and after settling for eighteen hours the solution is again
drawn off and the starch is washed through sioves settled strained and
finished in the usual mode of manufacturing wheat starch. I would remark
that although I have mentioned caustic soda or potash as the alkali I do not
confine myself thereto but I believe those alkalies to be the best for the pur-
pose or a solution of an alkaline salt may be used. I generally use carbonate
of soda or carbonate of potash I put seven pounds of carbonate of soda or
carbonate of potash to three and a half gallons of water and when dissolved
I add to it one hundredweight of maize or Indian corn (which has been pro-
viously soaked and levigated as before mentioned) stirring it well for half an
hour. I then allow the matters to remain in the frame for three days stirring
it well every four hours and then having allowed it to settle for eighteen hours
I draw off the liquor containing the gluten and I make another solution of the
same strength as the former solution and add it to the maize or Indian corn in
the proportions above mentioned which is treated in the same way as before
stated and then after settling for eighteen hours the liquor is again drawn
off and the starch is washed through sieves settled strained and finished in
the usual way of manufacturing wheat starch. Although I have described
carbonate of soda or potash I do not confine myself to those salts or in place
of the above processes an acid may be used as herein-after described in
respect to the manufacture of starch from rice. But I do not claim the
process of fermentation nor of caustic alkuli nor of alkaline salt nor of acid
when separately considered the first part of my Invention consisting in the
combination of the use of maize or Indian corn with such processes in the
manufacture of starch.
Description of Manufacturing Starch from Barley.-The barley is first
reduced to a meal or flour by the process of grinding similar to that practised
where wheat is used which is put into a vessel to which is added a sufficient
quantity of water to create fermentation it is then stirred up and care must be
taken that the whole of the barley is made wet. At the end of about ten or

page_text: twelve days it is washed through sieves and subjected to the same process as
that which is usually adopted for the manufacturing of starch from wheat.
But I would here observe that I sometimes adopt another method by
soaking unground barley in water four or five days and reduce it to a pulp or
creamy state by passing it through rollers or levigators or by other mechanical
means adapted to such purposes. The pulp is then put into a vat and allowed
to ferment for about ten or twelve days. (If it should be found after passing
it through the rollers or levigators there is too much water so that the fermen-
tation would be impeded I then by means of a syphon or tap draw off a portion
of the water.) The starch is then washed and the subsequent process is adopted
in the same manner as heretofore practised in the manufacture of wheat starch.
I do not confine the operation to the above means so long as the peculiar
character of this part of my Invention be retained whereby barley is acted on
in a suitable manner to dissolve or separate the gluten and other matters and
thus to obtain the separation of starch therefrom and I would state that in
place of simply fermenting barley the process of separating the gluten and
other matters may be performed by means of dilute caustic alkali as follows
I make a solution of real soda or real potash and dilute it till by means of
a test acid I find the solution to contain two hundred grains of real soda or
real potash to the gallon. To every fifty-six pounds of barley which has
been previously reduced to a meal or flour by the process of grinding or
soaked and livigated as before mentioned I add fifty-six gallons of the solu-
tion which must be well mixed I allow it to remain three days stirring
it every three hours. Having allowed it to settle eighteen hours I then draw
off the solution or brown liquor with a syphon I then make another solution
one half the strength of the former and add it to the barley in the proportions
before mentioned I allow it to remain two days taking care to stir it well
once in every three hours and then having allowed it to settle for eighteen
hours the solution is again drawn off and the starch is washed through sieves
settled strained and finished in the usual way of manufacturing wheat starch.
I would remark that although I have mentioned caustic soda or potash as the
alkali I do not confine myself thereto but I believe those alkalies to be tho
best for the purpose or a solution of an alkaline salt may be used. I gencrally
use carbonate of soda or carbonate of potash I put seven pounds of carbonate
of soda or carbonate of potash to three gallons and half of water and when
dissolved I add to it one hundredweight of barley (which has been previously
soaked and levigated as before mentioned stirring it well for half an hour).
If the barley has been previously ground in a dry state in that case before the
solution is added a sufficient quantity of water must be mixed with the meal

page_text: or flour to bring it to the consistency of cream. I then allow the matters to
remain in the frame for three days stirring it well every four hours and then
having allowed it to settle for eighteen hours I draw off the liquor containing
the gluten and make another solution of the same strength as the former
solution and add it to the barley in the proportions before mentioned which is
treated in the same way as before stated. The liquor is again drawn off and the
starch is washed through sieves settled strained and finished in the usual way
of manufacturing wheat starch. Although I have described carbonate of soda
or potash I do not confine myself to those salts. Or in place of the above
processes an acid may be used as hereafter described in respect to the
manufacture of starch from rice but I do not claim the process of fermenta-
tion nor of caustic alkali nor of alkaline salts nor of acid when separately
considered this part of my Invention consisting in the combination of the use
of barley with such processes in the manufacture of starch.
Description of the Mode of obtaining Fermentation of Rice in the Manu-
facture of Starch therefrom.-Before describing the third part of my Invention
which relates as before-stated to a method of obtaining fermentation of rice
when manufacturing starch therefrom by the application of the offal of wheat
or other grain or some woody fibrous matter I would state that rice contains
other vegetable matters besides the starch and that it is necessary to separate
them from such other vegetable matters. One means of effecting such separa-
tion is by fermenting the rice. When the rice is deprived of the outer bran or
pellicle I have not found it to ferment sufficiently to separate the starch
from the other vegetable matters or if it has fermented the process has been
so slight and slow as to render it practically useless and I have discovered
that, by adopting the following plan rice may be fermented I put the
rice into a vessel and cover it with water in order to soften it. After soaking
four or five days the water is then to be drawn off either
plughole at the bottom of the vessel or with a syphon.
to be reduced to a fine pulp or creamy state by passing through rollers or
lovigators or by other other mechanical means adapted to such purposes. In
this part of the process it will be necessary to use water with the rice I then
put the rice as reduced into a vessel and mix with it from twelve to fifteen
pounds of the offal of wheat or other grain or some woody fibrous matter to
every one hundredweight of rice. They are to be well mixed together and if
there is not sufficient moisture to wet the whole of the materials water must be
added. When the fermentation has separated the starch from the other
matters in the rice which I have found will be done in about twelve or fifteen
days I wash the starch through sieves and allow it settle in a frame and it
by a tap or
The rice is then

page_text: is afterwards washed strained and finished in the usual way of manufacturing
starch.
I now proceed to describe the fourth part of my Invention which relates as
before stated to a mode of manufacturing starch from rice by the application
of acids. I put the rice into a vessel and cover it with water in order to soften
it. After soaking three or four days the water is to be drawn off either by a
tap or plughole at the bottom of the vessel or with a syphon. The rice is
then reduced to a fine pulp or creamy state by passing it through rollers or
levigators or by other mechanical means adapted to such purposes. In this
part of the process it will be necessary to use water with the rice I put the
rice into a vessel and allow it to settle after which I draw off the water on the top
with a syphon I make a solution of acid by putting from three quarters of an
ounce to one ounce of acid (I have found muriatic acid to answer best) to
onc gallon of water I then put one gallon of the solution to every two
pounds of rice and allow it to remain five days stirring it well every four
hours at the least and then after allowing it to settle for eighteen hours I
draw off the water from the top with a syphon. I make another solution of
acid two thirds the strength of the previous solution and mix with the rice in
the proportions before mentioned and allow it to remain five days longer
stirring it every four hours at least and then having allowed it to settle for
eighteen hours I draw off the water wash the starch through sieves which
is afterwards subjected to the same process which is usually adopted in the
manufacture of starch.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed I would have it understood that what I
claim is
First the mode of manufacturing starch by the application of maize or
Indian corn by means of one or other of the processes above described.
Secondly I claim the mode of manufacturing starch by the application of
barley by means of one or other of the processes above described.
Thirdly I claim the mode of manufacturing starch by fermenting rice
by the aid of the offal of wheat or other grain or some woody fibrous
matter and
Fourthly I claim the mode of manufacturing starch from rice by the
application of acid as above described.
In witness whereof I the said James Colman have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Ninth day of Juno in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-two.
JAMES (L.B.) COLMAN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED that on the Ninth day of June in the
year of our Lord 1842 the aforesaid James Colman came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid and all and every thing therein contained and specified in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.