Sucrose Loss in Diffusion with Reference Thermophilic Bacteria and Lactic

The potential degradation of sucrose by hyperthermophilic bacteria during the diffusion process was investigated. It was found that the organic acids formed on bacterial fermentation of sucrose comprised predominantly lactic acid. The observed weight ratio of approximately two parts sucrose destroyed to one part lactic acid produced is in good agreement with that found in beet diffusers. It was observed that the actual lactic acid and bacterial count levels in diffusers tended to be higher when diffusion temperatures were not maintained above approximately 75°C. The use of formalin was shown to be an effective method for controlling bacterial activity in a diffuser.