IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF STARCHY SUBSTANCES RELATING TO BREWING AND DISTILLING AND IN APPARATUS FOR TREATING SAME
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lawrence of St. Mary Axe in the County of
Middlesex Brewers Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT OF STARCHY SUBSTANCES RELATING TO BREWING AND DISTILLING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lawrence at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th September 1882.
WILLIAM LAWRENCE of St Mary Axe in the County of Middlesex, Brewers
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF STARCHY SUBSTANCES RELATING
TO BREWING AND DISTILLING AND THE PREPARATION OF STARCHY FOOD AND IN
APPARATUS FOR TREATING SAME,"
"
The improvements comprise treating the starchy matter from cereals or other
substances containing starch and obtaining an increased extract and converting
or altering the extract to any desired degree physically and chemically by bursting
the starch cells and gelatinizing by the addition of, or admixture of diastase,
cerealin of corn, saccharine or acids, or by treating the materials under pressure
so as to burst the starch cells and form liquid starch, saccharine, and the
intermediate products between the starch and the saccharine; also in subjecting
starchy and saccharine matters or grains to a special process of filtration under
pressure or otherwise.
The apparatus consists of one or more injectors made singly or in bunches for
throwing the starchy matter from one injector or bunch in to the next one, and
so on-The injectors may be fitted with cold water jackets to increase their
effective action or they may have jets for cold water and steam combined in one
injector and made with one or more cones, they may also be used in conjunction
with converting chambers or mash tuns open or closed and containing the grist
or starchy matter and corn to be treated, with or without the diastase or other
substances or acids; they may also be used to throw the starchy substances from
the converting vessel through the injectors and discharge them again into the
[Prine I

page_text: same vessel continuously or may throw them from one converting vessel to another
at any desired pressure.
The injectors may be attached to an ordinary brewers mash tun or placed inside
it, or a pump may be used to pump the mash from the tun to the injector or
injectors. The object here being to burst the starch cells not acted upon by the
ordinary mashing process.
In treating raw grain when the object is to render it fit for storage, or for food
in the gelatinized state, the injectors are one or more of them supplied with super-
heated steam or hot air to dry and distend or disintegrate it, or the last injector
may be fitted with a perforated nozzle to secure sub-division. In treating the starch
obtained from brewers or distillers grain I evaporate the liquid from the starchy
part and cool it to low temperatures.
The apparatus for filtering brewers and distillers worts, starch and extract
consists of an annular shaped vessel, a cylinder, and cones; or suitable shaped
vessels or pipes placed one inside the other forming annular spaces and fitted with
suitable inlets and outlets the liquid to be filtered may be under pressure or
otherwise. A suitable apparatus being an annular tube perforated at its upper
extremity having an inner tube perforated entirely, with a sparging tube passing
into it, suitable inlets and outlets being provided and an exit valve for the pressed
material; the apparatus may be worked in conjunction with the injectors and the
mash or liquid may be thrown into it through the injectors and at such pressure
as they will maintain..
In this manner wort may be clarified or the mash and starchy matter pressed
and its extract washed or sparged from it, the process may be continuous and
performed at the boiling temperature.
The open converting vessels may be fitted with stirrers and strainers and supplied
with a diaphragm and movable lid to slide up and down in the vessel.-Or a mash
tun with a movable lid or cover may be used for converting & supplied with
stirrers strainers and diaphragm.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Lawrence in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th March 1883.
WILLIAM LAWRENCE of St Mary Axe in the County of Middlesex, Brewers
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF STARCHY SUBSTANCES RELATING
TO BREWING AND DISTILLING AND THE PREPARATION OF STARCHY FOOD AND IN
APPARATUS FOR TREATING SAME
"
The improvements comprise treating the starchy matter from cereals or other
substances containing starch and obtaining an increased extract and converting
or altering the extract to any desired degree physically and chemically by bursting
the starch cells and it comprises gelatinizing or converting by the addition or
employment of diastase cerealin of corn saccharine or acids or heat or by treating
the materials under pressure so as to burst the starch cells and form liquid starch
saccharine and the intermediate products between the starch and the saccharine
also in subjecting starchy and saccharine matters or grains to a special process of
filtration under pressure or otherwise. The apparatus may consist of one or more
injectors or ejectors made singly or in bunches for throwing the starchy matter
from one injector or bunch in to the next one and so on. The injectors may be
fitted with cold water jackets to increase their effective action or they may have
jets for cold water and steam combined in one injector and made with one or more
cones, the ejectors or injectors may also be used in conjunction with vessels or
converting chambers or mash tuns open or closed and under pressure or otherwise
and containing the grist or starchy matter and corn to be treated with or without
the diastase or other substances or acids they may also be used to throw the
starchy substances from the converting vessel through the injectors and discharge
them again into the same vessel or mash tun continuously or may throw them
from one converting vessel to another at any desired pressure.
“
"
The injectors may be attached to an ordinary brewers mash tun or placed inside
it or a pump may be used to pump the mash from the tun to the injector or
injectors The object here being to burst the starch cells not acted upon by the
ordinary mashing process. In treating raw grain or when the object is to render
it fit for storage or for food in the gelatinized state the injectors are one or more
of them supplied with superheated steam or hot air to dry and distend or
disintegrate it, or the last injector may be fitted with a perforated nozzle to
secure subdivision. In treating the starch obtained from brewers or distillers
grain I evaporate the liquid obtained from the starchy part and cool it to low
temperatures. The apparatus for filtering brewers and Distillers " worts," starch
and extract may consist of an annular shaped Vessel or cylinder, and cones, or
suitable shaped vessels or pipes placed one inside the other forming annular spaces
and fitted with suitable inlets and outlets the liquid to be filtered may be under
pressure or otherwise the apparatus may be worked in conjunction with the
injectors and the mash or liquid may be thrown into it through the injectors
and at such pressure as they will maintain. In this manner
"wort may be
clarified or the mash and starchy matter pressed out and its extract washed
or sparged from it the process may be continuous and performed at the boiling
temperature.
"
The open converting Vessels may be fitted with stirrers and supplied with a
diaphragm and movable lid to slide up and down in the Vessel. Or a mash tun with
a moveable lid or cover may be used for converting and supplied with stirrers
strainers and diaphragm.

page_text: Before proceeding to shew fully the nature of my Invention I will describe the
rationale of the operation of treating starchy matters and their use in brewing &°.
The primary object in treating starchy substances for brewing and cooking for
food is to burst the starch cell but the bursting of the starch cell is in the ordinary
way attended with many difficulties and objections. Its use in the preparation
of food and drinks renders it desirable to give latitude in its preparation.
For some purposes the albumenoid properties require more modification than for
others as do also the starch properties contained within the sac of the cell.
For these reasons it should be left at the option of the operator when treating
the starchy substance to do so without altering more than is absolutely necessary
the albumenoids and vice-versd. When acting on the albumenoids not to alter
the starch.
One of the usual methods for acting on the starch cell in brewing is by the action
of diastase or that principle developed in the malting process. This principle
called diastase has the power to not only burst the starch cells at temperatures
well known to brewers, from about 130 to 165 Fahreinheit but to convert the
starch into dextrine, saccharine, &c. The other processes are by means of very high
temperatures under pressure in strong vessels or boilers and either with or without
the action of acids or alkalies.
Now in the first process only a portion of the starch cells becomes burst and
recourse must be had to high temperature with or without the action of acids or
alkalies to effect this bursting of the cells not burst by the action of the diastase
otherwise a large percentage of starch is left in the grains-Brewers grains contain
sometimes 15 or 20 per cent of extractable matter. Diastase is a principle the
activity of which is utterly destroyed at high temperature therefore the starch cells
burst by the high temperature principle if performed in the presence of the
diastase, the starch will remain unconverted, the diastase which would under
proper conditions do the conversion being itself destroyed by the heat and other
means employed in the operation of bursting the cell. The albumenoids contained
in the grain are also changed at high temperatures whether the operator prefers
then to be so changed or not.
In order to alter these objections and obviate all difficulties I treat the malt or
grain by mechanical means so as to burst the cells mechanically as well as, or in
addition to, some or other of the other ordinary means or in conjunction or
combination with them or by superheated steam.
In the grinding of the grist I prefer to take it as finely ground as possible
because grist is composed of two principal features, the exposed or the independent
or separated cells form one feature; and the protected cells protected in the natural
matrix of the grain the second feature-By the means I employ the separated or
unprotected cells are broken mechanically at low temperatures-Those embedded
in the matrix require higher temperatures and greater force-Thus the importance
of perfect grinding will be seen. Taking grist and saturating it in water at any
convenient temperature from the cold to the boiling temperature according to the
nature of the grist to be operated upon I force the mash so made through small
apertures or pipes constructed in such a manner as to alternately invert the
pressure to which the mash is subjected into velocity and the velocity into pressure.
In this condition I cause one particle to crush up the other by rubbing against
it by the intensely rapid current set up as well as the alternating pressure and
velocity, and the greater number of holes through which the liquid is forced the
more effective and the quicker the breaking up of the starch in the mash is done.
The alternating of the pressure into velocity and vice versa under certain conditions
varies the pressure on the cells-Sometimes the mash in passing through the open
air at immense velocity as it leaves one nozzle and dashing through the cone of the
next inlet its velocity becomes inverted into pressure sometimes from the irregular
shape of the pipe a suction is caused which entirely takes off the pressure for the
instant-The operation being that the larger particles break up the starch cells
unprotected by the matrix and at the same time become abraded themselves setting

page_text: free more starch cells and the burst sacs which contain the starch. This is an
important fact because the broken starch cells together with the albumenoids
contained in the sacs and broken up matrix are all removed before the remaining
embedded cells are heated at higher temperatures, that is whenever it is desirable
to so separate the albumenoids from the starch for separate treatment. The remaining
starch cells not broken are then treated in a peculiar manner but at high pressure
and temperature so as to completely burst all the remaining cells.
The great feature of the mechanical point of my Invention (but this does not
refer so much to the gelatinizing process), is that it is continuous and the duty is
done practically in small tubes or chambers in which the mash is in the greatest
possible state of velocity, instead of being performed in closed or open Vessels, into
which a certain quantity of grist is put and then treated in the mass in an inter-
mittent manner under pressure or otherwise. This may be taken as the great
distinction between my invention and others, at the same time the modifications I
make in carrying out all these desiderata are of great importance and also make
my Invention still more distinct as regards other Inventions.
In treating unmalted corn or the harder part embedded in the matrix or in
such hard corn as maize or rice-I subject the grist either to a previous or
subsequent treatment in which I use superheated steam. For certain purposes I
prefer the steam under bigh pressure and for others a low or very little pressure
will answer.
My Invention comprises the various methods hereinafter shewn of obviating the
difficulties of treating starchy substances both in relation to brewing, and also in
other methods for treating starchy substances for other than brewing purposes-
The process in vogue in breweries is to mash the malt and then after one or more
hours to sparge and wash out the extract. But the extract at first obtained being
about say two thirds of the total extract and the disastase contained, is taken entirely
away leaving the albumenoids and also the extractable starch to decompose and
turn sour and worse than this the deteriorated starchy matter to percolate through
the deteriorated albumenoid matter and this with a loss of ten to twenty per Cent of
extract. The present processes to obviate this difficulty have relation to boiling up
the mash after running off part of the extract. But this process acts too much on
the albumenoids and although it may answer for low fermentation beers as made
in Germany it is not adapted to the perfect production of upper fermentation
English Beers at the same time does not give the means to obtain the total
extract. It will be seen how I propose to obviate all the difficulties and give the
means for greatly improving beers and thus rendering them less intoxicating.
I will now proceed to describe the illustrations and more fully to state a way of
performing my invention. In the drawings Fig: 1-A is a mash tun or vessel
containing the mash-B and B are other smaller vessels C. C'. and C². are sets of
injectors throwing the mash from the mash tun into the smaller vessel B and
thence to the next B¹ and from that into the closed receiver D and thence either into
the straining arrangement E³ or else on to the strainer and rinser E or it may pass
direct on leaving the injector C into the mash tun at the top. Thus in one method
of working the pipe e may deliver the mash from the bottom of the mash tun and
throw it into vessels B and thence from vessel to vessel it may be delivered into the
mash tun again at the top. This mode of working dispenses with an extra vessel
the mash tun itself containing the untreated mash as well as the treated, that is, all
except the small quantity of mash that is contained in the smaller vessels and
apparatus. It may be necessary to keep the treated mash separated from the
untreated and in such case a floating lid or diaphragm may be used so balanced as
to be about the same weight of or equal the buoyancy of that of the mash; such an
arrangement would keep the treated mash separate from the untreated-The mash
being taken from the underside of the floating lid would be delivered on the top or
above it again and would remain so the lid sinking as the mash was taken from
under it. But it will probably be sufficient to judge by the general indications.
The mash will become altered in temperature and in its general condition so that

page_text: the thermometer and these other conditions will serve to indicate when all the mash
has been under treatment. This method of treatment may be used as a first process
to burst all the detached cells and partly to break up the matrix leaving only the
harder starchy parts embedded in the matrix for subsequent treatment.
The pump F, is constructed to deliver at any desired pressure and the shifting
nozzle piece on the end of the pipe is curtailed so as to give great force and
velocity and cause an abrading action and partly burst the cells in addition to
what the injectors effect.-h. h'. and h². are pipes for supplying tepid water in order
to cool the mash when necessary or reduce it or make it thin or to supply the place
of the worty liquid run off by the pipes h, h. and h².
The next process may be to start the pump F unless such a pump is dispensed
with by the use of cooling water admitted through the pipe h. The mash will then
be thrown into the vessel B, and falling on to the coned shaped strainer E¹ the
liquid part will mostly fall through this strainer and drop into the inverted cone m,
which is placed over or connected on to the pipe k.
The grains or solid part of the mash falling into the vessel B. may be diluted
with tepid water continuously and brought to the proper temperature and con-
sistence so as to pass through the injector system C.-The same process may go on
in the vessel B¹-This second washing will have abstracted the diastase sufficiently
so that the remaining starchy parts may be treated finally and at temperatures and
pressures sufficient to completely break up the matrix and burst up the remaining
starch cells. This last part is done as the mash passes from B₁ onwards and a
sufficient number of injectors may be used to completely effect this purpose.
The
mash passing from B' thence through the injectors may be forced into the vessel D
and further treated with steam by means of jets, or it may pass direct into the
mash tun after being cooled by the addition of cold water or it may pass on to
either of the straining systems E³ E.-The dome or bell shaped strainer E* has a
case or covering e' to direct the splashing through this strainer into the trough e³.
The mash is delivered inside this strainer and escapes through the nozzles at the
end of the supply pipe and at such force that the liquid parts pass through the
strainer leaving the grains to fall and subside and fall out at the centre hole or
bottom of the strainer. The strainer may have a ledge underneath it as at g, to
prevent the grains from falling away too fast. The sparge arrangement as shown
is a perforated ring E and water pipe ³ and water is sparged on to the grains as
they continuously fall inside the strainer.
By this system the grains do not return to the mash tun but as the "wort" in
the mash tun will be thick it will partly settle and will partly require filtration
For this purpose an additional vessel G may be used as shewn. The bright" wort "
may be drawn off from the mash tun through the pipe a. The spent grains may
some of them be placed in this vessel and do the work of filtering and the work
may be filtered either upwards or downwards. The thick may be washed in the
mash tun and resettled or may be drawn off and filtered through the spent grains.
For some purposes for which I use injectors and in the case of injecting steam
when the substance to be treated is not a liquid as is the case when I treat
starchy food &c. and also when preparing starch by breaking up the matrix, I use
pressure either by a pump or plunging or screw delivering arrangement-The
substance to be treated being non-fluid. In some cases when in the cold the
substance to be treated is just sufficiently fluid to be forced by an ordinary pump
or plunging apparatus into the injectors but upon becoming acted upon by the heat
and pressure injecting system the starch cells become burst and the mixture
absorbed renders the substance non-fluid The passing through a single injector
may do this and then the substance will represent on entering the injector a fluid
or partially fluid substance and on leaving it a non-fluid one. In order to more
completely gelatinize such substances and also sometimes to evaporate the moisture
from them I use steam superheated more or less. In some cases plain steam. If in
the superheating or even the drying or distending the steam a less amount of
moisture is combined with the heat than in the case of simple steam, it follows

page_text: when superheated steam is used in the case of either mashed corn or starchy
mashed substance such as potatoes that the dryness of the steam employed will
cause some of the moisture of the starchy substance to be abstracted from it to
supply the steam with moisture and the further distension of the cells contained in.
the matrix will happen as the moisture is forced out of the substance and taken up
by the steam, the more the steam be superheated the more will be the steam
evaporated from the starchy matter and thus the drying will take place
simultaneously with the bursting of the cells and the breaking up of the matrix.
There will be a time when the moisture being evaporated partially the heat of
the starchy grist will rise in temperature and in fact become as hot as the
superheated steam. So that not only will the cells be burst but corn may be
colored.
When corn is finely ground or when grains are well saturated the time required
to gelatinize the starch contained is very little, a few minutes suffices to break up
any kind of starch cell as well as the matrix. Having observed these facts and in
order to take advantage of them I employ superheated steam in several ways. In
the case of starchy substances as they are forced through the injectors I subdivide
them by squeezing them or forcing them through perforations or wire cloth or
suitably dividing plates and at the same time admit superheated steam to permeate
the washed substance as soon as subdivided or on passing through the perforated
dividing plate-Another system in which I use superheated steam is by driving it
through the mass of saturated grist and this may be done as it falls continuously
in a cylinder or convenient vessel. Another way I employ is to take out the grains
from the mash tun leaving the wort and submitting the drained grains to the
action of superheated steam and thereby break up the matrix.
I can use the washed grains as they leave the first or the second set of injectors
connected to the vessels B and B and taking them strained submit them to the
action of superheated steam so as to gelatinize the starchy parts and when done I
can pass them through the last injector system C and break up all the cells and
completely disintegrate the matrix. This last part of the injector set marked c²
has an annular steam chamber and a fine annular ring of steam is made to act
upon the contents flowing through the injector.
This arrangement is preferable where there is any difficulty or liability to
blocking of the injectors as it leaves a full way for the starchy substance to pass
through.
Fig 4 shews annular steam inlets and the injectors similar to c² Fig 1 all
combined in one detailed construction in the annular steam injector; the arrows
shewing the direction of the steam and starchy substance. If a rotary or other
pump is used as shewn or other means to force the "mash" into the injector the
difficulty of blocking will be avoided and any desired temperature and pressure
may be obtained and any convenient number of injectors may be placed one upon
the other leaving the holes through the set in a straight line.
There are various ways of working the new system of breaking the starch cells
and extracting the extractive matters and it would be very difficult to give every
detail of all the plans and arrangements that may be adopted in carrying out my
invention or improvements and their relation to the art of brewing. Broadly
speaking a great proportion of the starch cells may by my improvements be burst
below the temperature that destroys the action of diastase. This alters the whole
phase of brewing and allows of the quick removal or separation of the fluid parts
from the non-fluid part or grains. As the diastase will then be principally
extracted the grains may either be treated in the moist state with superheated
steam or be saturated with water and treated through the injectors direct. In the
case of rice and maize where the grain is unmalted and there is no harm or
difficulty arising as when treating malted grain containing diastase the previous
treatment with superheated steam is preferable and the heated steam also eliminates
certain of the oily matters in the grain. Another system may be adopted, that is,

page_text: to mash in the ordinary way and sparge and remove the grains from the top as
they are sparged and burst them with superheated steam as before described and
"re-mash" them with the "wort" after gelatinizing. This system forms part of
my invention and the total extract may be obtained by it while the treatment to
which the grains are subjected is so rapid that no objection of acting too much
upon the albuminoids arises, as in the case when the "mash" is boiled in water or
when the German system is adopted.
When the
$$
"
mash is boiled the albuminoids are too much changed and remain
in the "wort or in solution. The German Lager Beer system extracts too much
albuminoid substance for the upper fermentation system. Thus I find that by
suddenly or quickly treating the grains I accomplish all that is necessary with the
starch but do not change too much the albuminoids. Hence I have discovered
the fundamental system for making improved beer and one that is applicable
for the making of upper fermentation beers and improving their quality and also
for brewing for distilling. The steaming the grains then instead of boiling them
is of the first importance and superheated steam is preferable. The steaming
accomplishes in a few minutes what would take much more time if the grains were
simply boiled. Again the act of ebulition for a long period may alter the
albuminoids partly from the motion set up. The most approved way I find is to
separate the grist into two or more parts. The husky parts being screened away
from the flour (taking care to crush the malt well in grinding). If the husky part
is passed through the injector system and heated to say 135° Fahrenheit or a little
higher the greater part of the diastase will be extracted and the separated and
detached cells burst and a second set of injectors will wash a large proportion both
of the albuminoids as well as the diastase and starch. The residue may then be
steamed and thrown through the injector system or the steaming process may be
avoided if sufficient heat and pressure are employed in the injectors, at the same time
the liquid starchy part may be abstracted or strained from the grains and may be
used as mashing liquid to mash the flowery part, the inashing of which may go on
simultaneously with the mashing of the husky part allowing a few minutes start
to the husky part. A few inches depth of clean husks may be placed first upon
the false bottom of the mash tun to give good drainage and then the treated husks
and the mashed flowery part may fall in together mixed in the mash tun. There
will be the diastase with the liquid wort from the first treatment of the husky part,
also for use for mashing liquid, and all the cells detached being prepared by
bursting at the instant of mashing the conversion will be rapid. For straining
I use a novel false bottom which is shewn Figs 6 and 7. I also use nozzle strainers
one form of which is shewn at Fig: 5. I find it also of great advantage in treating
starchy substances to perfectly dry them and for this purpose I use a kiln. I find
that when the malt is ground and the dusty part separated from the husky part
and the interior of the grain is done so to speak away with the inner lining and
other parts of the grain which contain the sappy matter from the germination of
the grain in the malting process can be more completely freed from their sappy
matter. This is a great desideratum. One of the objects in the preparation of
starchy food has reference to the preparation of suitable starchy matter for bakers
ferment. It is customary to use potatoes for the making of the ferment but there
are many difficulties in the use of potatoes. A suitable material would be common
wheaten and other flour passed through the injectors and stored in the moist state
in convenient-vessels for immediate use, or dried or treated at higher temperatures
for storage or hermetically sealing.
As regards brewing the great advantage will be given by my invention that
those products which are desirable to be extracted may be extracted and separated
leaving the other products or constituents for other purposes. The whole of the
malted part of the corn may be at once extracted and the harder unmalted parts
kept out and separated for re-drying or making into coloring matter such as burnt
malt and thus allow of the production of a more delicate and perfect beer when

page_text: using only the purely malted part of the grain utilizing the harder unmalted
starchy part reserving it for making colored malts or for use in making beers of a
different kind.
The strainer to give improved drainage in the mash tun or converting vessel
consists in so making a straining plate that it shall consist of a number of triangular
bars with spaces between as shewn in Figs: 6 and 7 Full size, Fig: 6 being a plan
view and Figure 7 a section. The bars with the intervening spaces forming
troughs or collecting troughs for the upper surface are marked the underside
bars y are precisely similar to the top ones but inverted so that the base of the
triangle comes against the base of the upper triangles the under bars being placed
transversley to the under one and at any convenient angle thus forming sharp
edged perforations at the same time affording great facility for cleaning. It may
be conveniently made of gun metal or cast iron or built up of rolled metal or made
of other suitable material-The bars themselves being sometimes curved.
Fig: 2 shews an apparatus with pumps and injector or injectors combined and
is intended to be used either with or without the use of further heat in the form of
steam in the injectors. The mash may be made or taken at the temperature at
which it is desired to keep it or it may be increased by steam applied to the
injectors. The mash is forced out of one injector into the next and in its passage
it may pass through the open air. One or more pumps may be employed to aid or
take the place of the injector and to keep up the pressure or make up for loss by
the friction of the mash in passing through the apparatus. The arrangement forms
an injector set or system and it may be used in the place of some of those already
described.
Fig 3 shows on a large scale in section detail of combined injector.
Having now described the nature of the said improvements and the manner of
performing them-I claim The improved modes of treating starchy substances
relating to brewing or distilling and food together with apparatus for same all
substantially as described and illustrated and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Lawrence have hereunto set my hand
and seal this 7th. day of March. A.D. 1883.
WILLIAM LAWRENCE (L.S.)