The manufacture of glucose or grape-sugar from starch in the United States began in a small factory at Sacketts Harbor, N. Y., in 1831, under the direction of a chemist named Guthrie. In March 1865 Dr. Goesling began making glucose under a patent he had procured. The sample exhibited led to the formation of a stock company which purchased of Goesling, Bradley & Briggs their patent for manufac turing sugar and syrup from Indian corn. The company began the manufacture of glucose in the old sugar-refinery in Rose street, New York. Unfortunately Dr. Goesling, the German chemist who was to superintend the manufac ture of glucose, died before the first lot of glucose was marketed, and with him perished - some of •the secrets of manufacture.
- By 1870 the new industry had so far de veloped as to be mentioned in the census of that year. In 1874' the Buffalo Grape-Sugar - Company was organized; it grew into a vast - concern, and Might be said to be the parent of the present industry.
In 1884 there were 29 factories engaged in the manufacture of sugar or syrup from corn and having a combined capacity for absorbing 40,000 bushels of corn per day. , At ptesent there are 89 factories which in 1914 psed corn, potatoes and wheat flour. These materials were turned into starch, glucose syrups, grape-sugar, corn oil and stock feed of an aggregate value of $68,000,000. Of the 89 factories in 1914, there were 51 in Maine, 7 in Minnesota, 5 in Illinois, 4 in Massachusetts, 3 each in Connecti cut, Indiana and Iowa, 2 each in New York and Ohio, and 1 each in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. These factories used in 1914 2,480,792,405 pounds of corn.
As found in the market glucose consists of varying proportions of maltose, dextrins (gummy matters), and dextrose (the true glu cose) and from 15 to 22 per cent of water., When starch is hydrolysed by dilute acids it breaks first into dextrins; these into maltose; and this finally into dextrose. By varying the quantity of acid thepressure, and the time of boiling, varying products result — glucose, 70 sugar, 80-sugar, and commercial dextrose. Dextrose is sometimes called "solid glucose?' It is a mass of white needle-like crystals, micro scopic in size, entangling a small percentage of a non-crystallizable syrup. In the case of glu cose the time of boiling is purposely made short in order to gain more of the intermediate prod ucts and less of the dextrose. As usually pre pared, the starch °milk° is sprayed into a boiler containing water acidulated with hydro chloric acid under pressure of about 50 pounds of steam, and boiled for about 10 minutes.
This converts about one-fifth of the starch into true glucose (dextrose), the remainder being about three parts maltose and two parts dextrins. When made from potatoes, the acid used is sulphuric, and the hydrolysis yields a product about half-maltose and half dextrins.
The process of manufacture has been greatly improved, so much so that, while in 1882 26 to 30 pounds of glucose was obtained from one bushel of corn, 40 pounds is now obtained.
Manufacture, Composition and Commer cial manufacture requires 80 hours, and includes 18 processes of manipulat ing the corn (and starch obtained therefrom) •. (1) steeping; (2) grinding; (3) separation of the starch; (4) cleaning the starch; (5) col lecting the starch; (6) washing the starch; (7) conversion by the action of hydrochloric acid; (8) neutralization with soda; (9) bag-filtra tion; (10) bleaching with sulphurous acid; (11) bone-black filtration; (12) concentration; (13) second bag-filtration; (14) acid treat ment; (15) second bone-black filtration; (16) final concentration; (17) final filtration; (18) final chemical adjustment. After the corn is steeped it is ground in water, and the wet starch separated and converted in copper con vertersby the action of hydrochloric acid, i which is later neutralized tiy chalk or other alkali; subjected to filtration, then concentrated in a vacuum-pan until it tests 41° to 45' Baum& the difference being in the amount of water eliminated; the product, glucose, a liquid substance, or grape-sugar if the process of conversion is carried farther. If the conver sion of starch with acid is carried to a point where a dilute iodine solution will just give a distinct color-reaction, we have glucose; con tinued to where 95 per cent alcohol gives a faint cloud, hardly a precipitate, we have grape sugar containing about 85 per cent of ferment able sugar. For still higher converted sugars a time-factor must be introduced. Carried be yond a given point, a back conversion takes place, with strong decomposition and loss of purity. The ratio of the fermentable sugar to non-fermentable sugar depends on the accuracy in stopping the conversion, for neutralization, at the exact point decided upon. This ratio determines whether the product is glucose or grape-sugar, and no sharp dividing line exists. The rotating powers of glucose and grape-sugar depend absolutely on this ratio. Actually no two batches of commercial glucose or grape sugar are identical, but for all practical pur poses they are alike, as a few points either way from the standard decided upon will make no difference in the appearance, taste or working qualities of these products.