Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of the firm of W Brookes & Son of 55 &
56 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to produce a lactic ferment and crude lactates
practically pure from other ferments, and it consists in cultivating lactic ferments
in mediums especially favorable to the growth of the lactic ferment, but less
favorable to the growth of the other ferments, such as the butyric, alcoholic,
putrefactive, etcetera. If in mixed ferments, consisting of living beings rapidly
multiplying, a medium be found specially favorable to the multiplication of one of
these ferments, and less favorable to the increase of the others, a practically pure
ferment can be isolated, if the medium be maintained favorable.
Taking, for example, two ferments, which I will designate as A and B. Let
ferment A mutiply as two to one, and ferment B as nine to one; then we
have A, second generation equals 2; third generation, equals 4; fourth, equals 8;
fifth, equals 16; and B, second generation, equals 9; third generation equals 81 ;
fourth, equals 729; fifth, equals 6,561; so that if A and B were at first in equal
quantities at the fifth generation the mixed ferment will contain only about one
fourth of one per centum of A, which I consider a practically pure ferment.
This being an unquestioned fact it becomes necessary to find a medium specially
favorable to the lactic ferment and unfavorable to the butyric, alcoholic, putre-
factive, et cetera. Such a medium may be produced by changing meal to glucose,
leaving in the residual albumenoids, and minerals, as food for the ferment, and
adding suitable neutralizers (such as carbonate of lime) for the acid produced.
I have found that when the above described medium is used, putrefaction, after
several cultures, does not set in for weeks, and butyric change for several days
after the lactic has terminated. A medium favorable in the highest degree, to
lactic fermentation, I find to contain 1000 parts of starch-sugar, dextrine or
glucose, or milk-sugar, to 6000 parts of water, about 500 parts of carbonate of
lime, and about 100 parts of vegetable nitrogenous matter, kept at a heat of
from 95 degrees to 113 degrees, Fahrenheit (that is, from 35 degrees to 45 degrees,

page_text: Centigrade), the higher heat being preferable. This solution, if freshly impreg-
nated, tends to free itself of moulds, the, viscous, mannitic, and, butyric ferments,
et cetera, and becomes pure lactic ferment.
The impregnation of one solution from the preceding one should take place at
the full height of fermentation, as evinced by the evolution of the carbonic acid
gas, at its first maximum; the second maximum, which is not so violent, takes
place when the after butyric fermentation is at its height, and the material is then
unfit for use.
Since the butyric ferment lives on lactates, already formed, and moreover
appears to be injured by oxygen, being a vibrio, not a bacterium, the use of
freshly prepared and impregnated culture-solutions is found advisable. I have
used a bath from which the glucose was withdrawn and milk-sugar put in its
place. The alcoholic ferment was reduced and afterwards exterminated, in this
bath, owing to the fact that the alcoholic ferment, unless prepared in large
quantity multiplies with difficulty in milk-sugar.
Since moist flour, or meal, as in bread, putrefies but slowly, it is a good
material to breed out all putrefactive vibrios, if able actively to support the
lactic ferment, and since sugar prevents putrefaction, the change of starch to
glucose does not aid putrefaction.
My crude lactates are practically inodorous, and wholly free from the slightest
taint, or evil smell, and if acidulated and distilled at the ordinary boiling point,
will yieid little or no volatile acids, or alcohol, and the same is therefore more
readily purified, with practically no waste, whereas, if an ordinary or impure crude
lactate is acidulated and distilled, large quantities of alcohol, or acids of the fatty
series (such as acetic, propionic, or butyric) are set free and escape, which greatly
lessens the yield of lactic acid, and the subsequent purification is rendered difficult
and expensive.
A practically pure lactic ferment, isolated from other ferments, substantially as
herein before set forth, serves as a reagent by means of which practically pure
lactic acid, and crude inodorous lactates may be manufactured from sugar of
vegetable origin (such as starch-sugar or glucose, et cetera) and from milk-sugar,
et cetera.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Lactic Acid and Lactates.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of the firm of W Brookes & Son of 55 &
56 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LACTIC ACID AND LACTATES (a communication from abroad by
Thomas Shepard Nowell, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of
Massachusetts one of the United States of America, Manufacturer) and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
:
t
This invention has for its object to produce a lactate ferment and crude lactates
practically pure from other ferments, and it consists in cultivating lactic. ferments
in mediums especially favourable to the growth of the lactic ferment, but less
favourable to the growth of the other ferments, such as the butyric, alcoholic,
putrefactive, etc. If in mixed ferments, consisting of living beings rapidly'
multiplying, a medium be found especially favourable to the multiplication of one
of these ferments, and less favourable to the increase of the others, a practically
pure ferment can be isolated, if the medium be maintained favourable. Taking
for example, two ferments, which I will designate as A and B. Let ferment A
multiply as two to one, and ferment B as nine to one; then we have A, second
generation equals 2; third generation, equals 4; fourth, equals 8; fifth, equals 16;
and B, second generation, equals 9; third generation equals 81; fourth, equals 729;
fifth, equals 6,561; so that if A and B were at first in equal quantities at the
fifth generation the mixed ferment will contain only about one fourth of one per
centum of A, which I consider a practically pure ferment.
This being an unquestioned fact it becomes necessary to find a medium specially
favourable to the lactic ferment and unfavourable to the butyric, alcoholic, putre-
factive, etc. Such a median may be produced by changing meal to glucose,
leaving in the residual albumenoids, and minerals, as food for the ferment, and
adding suitable neutralizers (such as carbonate of lime) for the acid produced.
I have found that when the above described medium is used, putrefaction, after
several cultures, does not set in for weeks, and butyric change for several days
after the lactic has terminated. A medium favourable in the highest degree, to
lactic fermentation, I find to contain 1000 parts of starch-sugar, dextrine or glucose,
or milk-sugar, to 6000 parts of water, about 500 parts of carbonate of lime, and
about 100 parts of vegetable nitrogenous matter, kept at a heat of from 95 degrees
to 113 degrees, Fahrenheit, (that is, from 35 to 45 degrees, centigrade,) the
higher heat being preferable. This solution, if freshly impregnated, tends to
free itself of moulds, the viscous, mannitic, and butyric ferments, etc., and becomes
pure lactic ferment.
The impregnation of one solution from the preceding one should take place at
the full height of fermentation, as evinced by the evolution of the carbonic acid
gas, at its first maximum; the second maximum, which is not so violent, takes
place when the after butyric fermentation is at its height, and the material is then
unfit for use,

page_text: Since the butyric ferment lives on lactates already formed, and moreover appears
to be injured by oxygen, being a vibrio, not a bacterium, the use of freshly
prepared and impregnated culture-solutions is found advisable. I have used a
bath from which the glucose was withdrawn and milk-sugar put in its place. The
alcoholic ferment was reduced and afterwards exterminated, in this bath, owing
to the fact that the alcoholic ferment, unless prepared in large quantity multiplies
with difficulty in milk-sugar.
Since moist flour, or meal, as in bread, putrefies but slowly, it is a good material
to breed out all putrefactive vibrios, if able actively to support the lactic
ferment, and since sugar prevents putrefaction, the change of starch to glucose does
not aid putrefaction.
My crude lactates are practically inodorous, and wholly free from the slightest
taint, or evil smell, and if acidulated and distilled at the ordinary boiling point,
will yield little or no volatile acids, or alcohol, and the same is therefore more
readily purified, with practically no waste, whereas, if an ordinary or impure
crude lactate is acidulated and distilled, large quantities of alcohol, or acids of
the fatty series (such as acetic, propionic, or butyric) are set free and escape, which
greatly lessens the yield of lactic acid, and the subsequent purification is rendered
difficult and expensive.
A practically pure lactic ferment, isolated from other ferments, substantially as
hereinbefore, set forth, serves as a reagent by means of which practically pure
lactic acid, and crude inodorous lactates may be manufactured from sugar of
vegetable origin (such as starch-sugar or glucose, etc.) and from milk-sugar, etc.
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. The process of purifying and preserving a lactic ferment by adding said
ferment to a medium specially favourable to its growth, and less favourable to the
growth of other ferments, substantially as set forth.
2. In the manufacture of crude lactates and lactic acid, the method of preparing
a culture bath consisting in adding about one thousand parts of starch-sugar,
dextrine, glucose, or milk-sugar, to six thousand parts of water, then adding about
five hundred parts of carbonate of lime, and finally adding about one hundred
parts of vegetable nitrogenous matter, the mixture being kept at a heat of from
95 degrees to 113 degrees, Fahreneit (35 degrees to 45 degrees Centigrade) sub-
stantially as set forth.
3. In the manufacture of crude lactates and lactic acid, the preparation of a
practically pure reagent for producing lactic acid, consisting in the successive
impregnation of a series of culture baths with lactic fermont, the impregnation
of each solution from the preceding one being effected at the point of full height of
fermentation, as evidenced by the evolution of the carbonic acid gas, at its first
maximum, substantially as set forth.
1000