Improvements in the Treatment of Spent Beetroot and Production of a Useful Body therefrom.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in the Treatment of Spent Beetroot and Production of
a Useful Body therefrom.
A communication from FRIEDRICH HORNIG, of Taucha, near Leipzig, Saxony,
Manufacturer.
I, GEORGE BELOE ELLIS, of the Firm of J. C. Mewburn and Ellis, of 55 and 56,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Chartered Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention refers to the manufacture of an adhesive or glutinous substance
from lixiviated beetroot chips. The said substance is obtained by treating the
beetroot chips under pressure with hot aqueous sulphurous acid or an aqueous
solution of the bisulphites of the alkalies or earth alkalies, whereby the insoluble
pectin body contained in the chips is converted into soluble arabin acid.
The beetroot, from which the saccharine matter has been extracted by lixivia-
tion, is mixed with an aqueous solution of sulphurous acid (containing say about
30 to 35 grams to one litre) and this mixture is heated at 80 to 90° C. in a closed
vessel lined with lead for a period of four to five hours. The pulpy matter
resulting from such heating, after the sulphurous acid has been blown off as far
as possible, is subjected to pressure.
Instead of the aqueous solution of sulphurous acid, aqueous solution of bisul-
phite of alkalies or earth alkalies may be employed in a proportion correspond-
ing approximately to the above stated strength of the reacting liquid with free
sulphurous acid.
The expressed liquid is titrated on sulphurous acid, and then neutralised by
means of chalk and a small excess of carbonate of lime is added, until effervescence
no longer takes place while the liquid is in a warm state. Thus the acid calcium
salt of the arabin acid has been formed. The liquid, weakly acid, is now
decanted, filtered and boiled down in vacuo.
It may be well to state, that the arabin acid is contained in an insoluble form
as pectin body in the beetroot chips and is converted by the sulphurous acid,
which causes hydrolysis, into the soluble arabin acid.
EXAMPLE.
Upon one kilo of beetroot chips, which may have been dried by the well known
method of Büttner and Meyer (which method consists in bringing the chips
during their passage through an apparatus in constant contact with the gaseous
product of a hearth, so that the chips leave the apparatus with about 88% of dry
substance) four litres of aqueous sulphurous acid (35 grams of such acid to one
litre of water) are poured and the chips with the acid are heated in a closed

page_text: vessel, which is lined inside with lead and provided outside with a steam jacket,
at a temperature of 85° C. for a period of 4 to 5 hours.
After stopping the admission of steam into the jacket, the tap of the vessel
still hot is opened and the greater part of the sulphurous acid will escape.
The pulpy mass, when cooled down, is subjected to pressure and thereafter again
lixiviated with hot water and again pressed. The lyes, resulting from the
repeated pressings are united, which lyes will already show a superior adhesive-
ness or viscosity. Then the united lyes are treated with chalk, so as to neutralise
the sulphurous acid contained in the lyes. The quantity of chalk to be used will
depend upon how long effervescence will take place. As soon as effervescence
ceases the addition of chalk is stopped. The quantity will be about 20 to 25
grams according to the result in glutinous matter. The liquid is then decanted,
filtered and boiled down in vacuo. The result will be about five hundred grams
of a solid glutinous substance, the color of which will vary according to the
precaution taken in boiling down, from light yellow to brown. The beetroot
chips, if afterwards dried again will shew a decrease in weight of about sixty
Per cent.
Dated this 20th day of Antahan 1000
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in the Treatment of Spent Beetroot and Production of
a Useful Body therefrom.
A communication from FRIEDRICH HORNIG, of Taucha, near Leipzig, Saxony,
Manufacturer.
I, GEORGE BELOE ELLIS, of the Firm of J. C. Mewburn and Ellis, of 55 and 56,
Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: —
This invention refers to the manufacture of a glutinous substance from lixi-
viated beetroot chips. In carrying out the invention my correspondent proceeds
as follows:-
The beetroot chips, from which the saccharine matter has been extracted by
lixiviation are mixed with a watery solution of sulphurous acid (30 to 35 grams
to one litre), and this mixture is heated at 80° to 90° C. in a closed vessel lined
with lead for a period of 4 to 5 hours. The pulpy matter resulting from such
heating, after the sulphurous acid has been blown off as far as possible, is sub-
jected to pressure.
Instead of the watery solution of sulphurous acid, watery solutions of bisul-
phite of alkalies or earth alkalies may be employed in a proportion corresponding
approximately to the above stated strength of the reacting liquid with free
sulphurous acid.
The expressed liquid is titrated on sulphurous acid, then neutralised by means
of chalk, and a small excess of carbonate of lime is added until effervescence no
longer takes place while the liquid is in a warm state. Thus the acid calcium
salt of the arabin acid has been formed. The liquid, weakly acid, is now
decanted, filtered and boiled down in vacuo.

page_text: It may be well to state that the arabin acid is contained in insoluble form
as a pectin body in the chips, and is converted by the sulphurous acid, which
causes hydrolysis, into the soluble arabin acid.
EXAMPLE.
Upon one kilo of beetroot chips, which may have been dried by the well-known
method of Buetner and Meyer (which method consists in bringing the chips
during their passage through an apparatus in constant contact with the gaseous
product of a hearth, so that the chips leave the apparatus with about 88% of dry
substance), four litres of aqueous sulphurous acid (35 grammes of such acid to one
litre of water) are poured, and the chips with the acid are heated in a closed
vessel, which is lined inside with lead, and provided outside with a steam jacket,
at a temperature of 85° C. for a period of 4 to 5 hours.
After stopping the admission of steam into the jacket the tap of the still hot
vessel is opened, and the greater part of the sulphurous acid will escape.
The pulpy mass, when cooled down, is subjected to pressure and thereafter again
lixiviated with hot water, and again pressed. The lyes resulting from the
repeated pressings are united, which lyes will already show a superior adhesive-
ness or viscosity. Then the united lyes are treated with chalk, so as to neutralise
the sulphurous acid contained in the lyes. The quantity of chalk to be used will
depend upon how long effervescence will take place. As soon as effervescence
ceases the addition of chalk is stopped. The quantity will be about 20 to 25
grams according to the result in glutinous matter. The liquid is then decanted,
filtered and boiled down in vacuo. The result will be about 500 grams of a solid
glutinous substance, the color of which will vary according to the precaution
taken in boiling down, from light yellow to brown. The beetroot chips, if after-
wards dried again, will show a decrease in weight of about sixty per cent.
The adhesive substance obtained according to this invention from beetroot
differs from gum arabic as follows:-Gum arabic is a mixture of at least two
kinds of gum in varying proportions, of which in the polariscope the one proves
to be laevo-rotary and the other dextro-rotary. In gum arabic the dextro-rotary
kind is present in the larger proportion. The adhesive substance obtained from
beetroot is also a mixture of the two kinds named, but the laevo-rotary is present
in the larger proportion. Gum, arabic will therefore yield less arabinose than
the beet-root gum.
A further difference between gum arabic and that obtained from treating
beetroot chips as described is to be noticed in the chemical behaviour of the
two gums. If gum arabic is dissolved in water and alkali or ammonia is added
to the solution the latter will not change. If however a solution of the new
beetroot gum is treated in the same manner, the entire mass will immediately
become gelatinous. This tendency to become gelatinous may, however, be
annulled by boiling the solution previously with hydrogen peroxide.
As a further characteristic of the beetroot gum the smell may be mentioned.
There is contained in the beet root as is well known, some vanillin. This odour
of vanillin continues through all the stages of reaction and adheres to the gum
produced, and is especially to be noticed if the gum is warm and in solution.
The smell is strongly like that of vanilla with a slight empyreumatic odor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The process of manufacturing an adhesive or glutinous substance from
beetroot, which process consists in treating lixiviated beetroot chips under pres-
sure with hot aqueous sulphurous acid, or a watery solution of bisulphites of the
alkalies or earth alkalies, whereby the insoluble pectin body contained in
the chips is converted into soluble arabin acid, substantially as described.

page_text: 2. The soluble adhesive substance derived from beetroot and having the
characteristics above described.
Dated this 31st day of Tul 1800
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Chartered Patent Agents.