Improvements in the Production of Starch and Saccharine Matters.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left 14th Aug. 1899-Accented 16th Sept. 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Starch and Saccharine Matters.
We, CILARLES FREDERICK CROSS, of 4, New Court, Carey Street, in the County
of London, and JOHN STEWART REMINGTON, of Meadowside, Lancaster, in the
County of Lancaster, Analytical and Consulting Chemists, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
It is known that the fruit of the horse chestnut contains a considerable pro-
portion of starch, but not enough to pay for its extraction.
Our invention relates to a treatment of the horse chestnut fruit in such a
manner that we recover not only the starch but also saccharine matters contained
in the residues.
For this purpose, we crush the fruit when it is in a dry condition, and after
separating the brown husk by sifting, we mix the crushed material with about len
times its weight of cold water. After the mixture has stood for some time the
clear solution is run off and stored in a suitable receptacle. The pulp is stirred
with fresh water and the liquid holding the starch in suspension is poured through
a fine sieve into a settling tank where it is left until the starch is deposited. The
deposit, which is pure starch, is treated in the usual way to bring it into merchant-
able form.
The residue of pulp left on the fine sieve is mixed with the solution originally
obtained and the mixture has added to it about 2 per cent. of sulphuric acid
by weight, and the whole is boiled for two to three hours in a suitable lined vessel.
The product is neutralised by addition of chalk and is allowed to settle until it
is clear. It is a saccharine liquor which may be more or less concentrated, or can
be at once fermented by addition of yeast and distilled for production of spirit.
Dated this 16th day of January 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Starch and Saccharine Matters.
We, CHARLES FREDERICK CROSS, of 4, New Court, Carey Street, in the County
of London, and JOHN STEWART REMINGTON, of Meadowside, Lancaster, in the
County of Lancaster, Analytical and Consulting Chemists, 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:-
-
It is known that the fruit of the horse chestnut contains a considerable pro-
portion of starch, but not enough to pay for its extraction.

page_text: Our invention relates to a treatment of the horse chestnut fruit in such a
manner that we recover not only the starch but also saccharine matters contained
in the residue.
For this purpose we reduce the fruit to pulpy condition as in treating maize
or other materials for the extraction of starch. The preliminary treatment for
this purpose varies with the condition of the fruit. When the nuts are fresh
they may be ground in an ordinary mill such as is employed for crushing maize
or other materials by starch manufacturers. But if the nuts are dry, they are
first cracked with rollers and are then softened by steeping in water at a tem-
perature of 100° to 130° Fahr. preferably in presence of a little sulphurous acid
sufficient to prevent or retard fermentation. After steeping, the liquid is drained
away and set aside for subsequent treatment in order to convert the dissolved
carbohydrates into fermentable forms; the nuts are then washed once or twice
with water, and ground in the wet state. In some cases the ground material
has to be steeped again for farther softening. When the nuts are ground in the
fresh state the pulp is treated with cold water in order to dissolve the soluble
carbohydrates, for this purpose it is agitated with water, the mixture allowed to
settle and the clear liquid drained away and stored for subsequent treatment.
The residue is farther treated in the same way and so long as soluble carbohydrate
can be economically obtained.
After sufficient grinding, or steeping and grinding, the starch is separated
from the pulp in the usual way. The pulp is stirred with fresh water and the
liquid holding the starch in suspension is poured through a fine sieve into a
settling tank where it is left until the starch is deposited. The deposit, which
is a commercially pure starch, is treated in the usual way to bring it into merchant-
able form.
The residue of pulp left on the fine sieve is mixed with the solutions of the
soluble carbohydrates originally obtained in steeping and the mixture has added
to it about 2 per cent. of sulphuric acid by weight and the whole is boiled for two
to three hours in a suitably lined vessel.
The product is neutralized by addition of chalk and is allowed to settle until it
is clear. It is a saccharine liquor which may be more or less concentrated, or
can be at once fermented by addition of yeast and distilled for production of spirit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
The herein described process for the production of starch and saccharine liquid
from horse chestnut fruit.
Dated this 11th day of tumul 1000