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Show WASTE PRODUCTS FROM CANNERIES MAY BE UTILIZED Cherry Pits, Now Source of Annoyance, An-noyance, Can Be Made to Yield Valuable Oils. NEW INDUSTRY IS POSSIBLE Specialists In U. 8. Department of Agriculture Ag-riculture Declare Also That 105,-000 105,-000 Gallons of Juice Now Thrown Away May Be Converted Into Jelly and Sirup. Washington, D. C Sixteen hundred tons of cherry pits, now a source of annoyanco and expenso to canneries, can bo mado to yield two valuablo oils and nlso a moal for feeding cnttlo, according ac-cording 'to specialists of tho United States department of agriculture. In addition, 105,000 gallons of cherry juico now wasted in seeding cherries can bo turned into dcBlrablo Jelly and sirup, or oven Into nlcbhol. A saving of theso vnluahlo by-products from cherry canning may mako posslblo tho domestic manufacturo of substitutes for almond oil and blttor-almond oil, now Imported, and at the samo timo establish a now Industry in tho chorry packing districts of tho North Atlantic, Atlan-tic, North Contrnl and Western states. Tho specialists, howover, havo not yet carried their work to a point whero they can say that tho converting convert-ing of this Juico and tho cherry pits would bo n profitable sldo Industry for tho ordinary or smaller cannory. In casos whore a number of canners aro operating within a reasonable distance of ono another, tho specialists, how-over, how-over, beliovo that tho wnsto products could be sent to a central co-operativo or other plant at small cost and thoro utilized to advantage. Studies, however, how-ever, aro being carried on to deter-ntno deter-ntno whether means cannot bo do-vised do-vised for ronklng theso wasto products profltnblo also when handled on a small scalo. Somo tlmo ago there was similar Investigation In-vestigation of tho use of peach and apricot pits for making oils and meal, and a commercial enterprise has been established In California for dealing with theso products. Tho department de-partment has published a bulletin on this subject and also ono dealing with tho utilization of raisin seed from tho seeded raisin Industry. It was found that many tons of raisin seed bad considerable fruit adhering to thorn which could readily be turned Into a very desirable raisin sirup for tho use of confectioners and others. After this pulp had been used It was found thnt an oil useful in tho arts could profitably bo pressed from tho seed, and experiments aro under way to determine whether tho crushed seed could not bo used to advantage In feeding stock. Tho following description of those products, and methods which havo been developed for making them, aro taken from professional paper 350, "Tho Utilization of Cherry By-Prod-ucts," by Frank Rnbak, chemical biologist, bureau of plant Industry. Fixed Oil From Cherry Pita. "Tho kernel of tho pit, as long has been known, contains a considerable quantity of oil. Investigations recently re-cently conducted show that tho oily constituents of tho kernel can bo converted con-verted into a fixed oil much llko almond al-mond oil, nnd a volatile oil practically Identical with oil of bitter almonds. Tho rcslduo after these oils aro extracted ex-tracted shows on analysis ingredients that may mako it a practical cattlo feed similar to Unseed enko. "Tho fixed oil Is tho most Important by-product of chorry pits. It hns a golden yollow color and a pleasant nutliko tnsto and odor. In character It is so closoly related to Imported almond al-mond oil that It is believed to possess pos-sess similar possibilities In tho commercial com-mercial manufacturo of drugs, oils and soap. "If tho pits of nil domestic cherries, now thrown away at canneries, nnd tho pits extracted from imported cherries, cher-ries, wero processed In this way It Is estimated that thoy would yield 320.-000 320.-000 pounds of fixed oil, worth In tho neighborhood of twenty cents n pound. Tho best quality or this fixed oil is cxtractod from tho kernels In hydraulic presses. Tho shells of tho pits aro first cracked In n mill and tho uncrushed korncls separated out with slovcs. Tho oil Is then pressed out from tho ments. In a laboratory experiment ex-periment tho kernels yielded 21 per cent of fixed oil under a pressuro of 2,750 pounds to tho squnro Inch. On a comnicrclnl scale, however, with presses equipped for heating tho kernels ker-nels under pressuro, it is believed that 30 per cent or moro can bo obtained. Tho oil also can he obtained by grinding grind-ing tho pits and oxtrnctlng by menus of solvents. Volatile Oil Second Product. "Tho volatllo oil, tho second product, remains In tho pressed cako aftor tho llxed oil lino been extracted by pressure pres-sure or by solvents. Tho volatile oil lo then secured by chemical means and distillation. In tho experiments tLo oil was obtained at tho rato of nearly ono pound for ovory 100 poundB of rcslduo treated. It Is estimated that 0,000 pounds of UiIb volatllo oil could bo obtained If all tho chorry pits hnndlod at canneries could bo used. Tho valuo of this by-product, based on tho current prices for the vory similar Imported blttor-nlmond oil, would bo In tho neighborhood ot $54,000. "Tho pross enko left aftor both fixed nnd volatllo oils havo been removed, Is bcllovcd to contain substances which may mako It n dcslrnblo stock food. Its most Important constituents, constitu-ents, ns shown by nnnlysls, aro tat, protein, Including nitrogen compounds, and sugar and other carbohydrates. Tho protein nmountn to 30 per cent and In this tho enko compares favorably favor-ably with other stock foods. If chorry kornol meal proves In practlco to bu ns good for feed as tho laboratory analysis would Indicate, tho annual vnluo of this product would bo about $12,000. Much Juice s Wasted. "Tho 105,000 gnllons of chorry Juico wasted oach year In tho canneries, tho experiments show, would, if collected nnd trcntcd, produco 85,000 gnllons of dcslrnblo Jolly or a largo qunntlty of tahlo Blrup, or could bo mr.do to for-mont for-mont and produco alcohol. In tho experiments ex-periments n cherry Jelly, bright red In color nnd with a fruity odor, was mado by concentrating tho chorry Juico with cano sugar In a vacuum. A small amount of gelatin was then added and tho mlxturo allowed to cool. Other processes in which tho concentrated Juico is heated with pectin or fruits rich In pectin, tho investigators beliovo might produco even better results. "Tho Juico also could bo Miado Into somo 21,000 gallons of nn agreeably flavored tablo sirup by neutralizing tho acid in tho filtered Juice with milk of,llmo and concentrating It by evaporation evap-oration and then settling or filtering out tho Umo compounds. "Tho cherry Juice, if fcrmwntod by tho addition of yeast nnd then distilled, dis-tilled, can bo mado to yield 3G per cent of nbsoluto alcohol or about 5,000 gallons." |