MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY
Here’s a detailed elaboration of each step in the manufacturing process of sugar:
Cultivation and Harvesting: The process begins with the cultivation of sugarcane in tropical or subtropical regions. Sugarcane plants are carefully nurtured for about 12 to 18 months until they reach maturity. Once mature, typically signaled by changes in color and size of the stalks, the sugarcane is harvested. This is usually done by cutting the stalks close to the ground using specialized machinery. The harvested sugarcane is then loaded onto transport vehicles and taken to the sugar mill for processing.
Preparation and Extraction: At the sugar mill, the harvested sugarcane undergoes cleaning and washing to remove dirt, leaves, and other impurities. The cleaned sugarcane is then shredded or crushed to extract the juice. This extraction process is usually achieved through mechanical crushers that squeeze out the sugarcane juice, which contains water, sucrose, and other soluble solids.
Clarification and Filtration: The sugarcane juice extracted from the crushing process is often murky due to suspended solids and impurities. To clarify the juice, it undergoes a series of steps. Initially, it may be heated to coagulate proteins and other substances, which are then removed through filtration or settling. This clarification process aims to produce a clear and relatively pure juice ready for further processing.
Evaporation and Concentration: The clarified sugarcane juice, now free from most impurities, is heated in multiple stages in evaporators. These evaporators operate under vacuum conditions to reduce boiling temperatures and prevent caramelization of sugars. As water evaporates from the juice, it becomes more concentrated and thickens into a syrup-like consistency known as cane syrup or raw juice.
Crystallization and Centrifugation: The concentrated cane syrup is seeded with sugar crystals or passed through crystallizers to induce the formation of sugar crystals. The resulting mixture of sugar crystals and syrup, called massecuite, is then spun in centrifuges to separate the crystals from the remaining liquid (molasses). Centrifugation separates the molasses from the raw sugar crystals, leaving behind raw sugar with varying degrees of purity.
Refining: The raw sugar crystals obtained from centrifugation undergo further purification through refining processes to remove remaining impurities and achieve the desired purity level. This typically involves washing the sugar crystals with water to dissolve and wash away molasses and other soluble non-sugars. The resulting syrup undergoes further crystallization and centrifugation stages to produce refined sugar crystals of uniform size and purity.
Drying, Packaging, and Distribution: The refined sugar crystals are then dried to remove excess moisture, ensuring they remain free-flowing and resistant to clumping. After drying, the sugar is cooled and screened to achieve the desired particle size. Finally, the sugar is packaged into various consumer or bulk containers, ensuring it meets quality standards and regulatory requirements. Packaged sugar is then distributed to retailers, food manufacturers, and consumers worldwide, ready for use in various culinary, industrial, and commercial applications.
This comprehensive process ensures that sugar is produced efficiently while maintaining high standards of quality and purity, meeting the demands of global markets for this essential sweetener.
TYPES OF SUGAR
There are many different types of granulated sugar. Most of these are used only by food processors and professional bakers and are not available in the supermarket. The types of granulated sugars differ in crystal size. Each crystal size provides unique functional characteristics that make the sugar appropriate for the food processor’s special need.
“Regular” sugar, as it is known to consumers, is the sugar found in every home’s sugar bowl and most commonly used in home food preparation. It is the white sugar called for in most cookbook recipes. The food processing industry describes “regular” sugar as extra fine or fine sugar. It is the sugar most used by food processors because of its fine crystals that are ideal for bulk handling and are not susceptible to caking.
Fruit sugar is slightly finer than “regular” sugar and is used in dry mixes such as gelatin desserts, pudding mixes and drink mixes. Fruit sugar has a more uniform crystal size than “regular” sugar. The uniformity of crystal size prevents separation or settling of smaller crystals to the bottom of the box, an important quality in dry mixes and drink mixes
Bakers Specials crystal size is even finer than that of fruit sugar. As its name suggests, it was developed specially for the baking industry. Bakers Special is used for sugaring doughnuts and cookies as well as in some commercial cakes to produce fine crumb texture
This sugar’s crystal size is the finest of all the types of granulated sugar. It is ideal for extra fine textured cakes and meringues, as well as for sweetening fruits and iced-drinks since it dissolves easily. In England, a sugar very similar to superfine sugar is known as caster or castor, named after the type of shaker in which it is often packaged
This sugar is granulated sugar ground to a smooth powder and then sifted. It contains about 3% corn starch to prevent caking. Confectioner’s sugar is available in three grades ground to different degrees of fineness. The confectioner’s sugar available in supermarkets is the finest of the three and is used in icings, confections and whipping cream. The other two types of powdered sugar are used by industrial bakers
The crystal size of coarse sugar is larger than that of “regular” sugar. Coarse sugar is normally processed from the purest sugar liquor. This processing method makes coarse sugar highly resistant to color change or Inversion (natural breakdown to fructose and glucose) at high temperatures. These characteristics are important in making fondants, confections and liquors
Another large crystal sugar, sanding sugar, is used mainly in the baking and confectionery industries to sprinkle on top of baked goods. The large crystals reflect light and give the product a sparkling appearance
Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals coated in molasses syrup with natural flavor and color. Many sugar refiners produce brown sugar by boiling a special molasses syrup until brown sugar crystals form. A centrifuge spins the crystals dry. Some of the syrup remains giving the sugar its brown color and molasses flavor. Other manufacturers produce brown sugar by blending special molasses syrup with white sugar crystals. Dark brown sugar has more color and a stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes. Dark brown sugar has a rich flavor that is good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, plum pudding and other full flavored foods.
This sugar is a raw sugar which has been partially processed, removing some of the surface molasses. It is a blond color with a mild brown sugar flavor and is often used in tea.
These sugars are fine, powder-like brown sugars that are less moist than “regular” brown sugar. Since it is less moist it does not lump and is free-flowing like granulated white sugar
Popular in England, Demerara sugar is a light brown sugar with large golden crystals which are slightly sticky. It is often used in tea, coffee or on top of hot cereals
Liquid sugars were developed before today’s methods of sugar processing made transport and handling granulated sugars practical. There are several types of liquid sugar. Liquid sucrose (sugar) is essentially liquid granulated sugar and can be used in products wherever dissolved granulated sugar might be used. Amber liquid sucrose (sugar) is darker in color and can be used where the cane sugar flavor is desirable and the non-sugars are not a problem in the product.
Inversion or chemical breakdown of sucrose results in invert sugar, an equal mixture of glucose and fructose. Available commercially only in liquid form, invert sugar is sweeter than granulated sugar. One form of liquid invert was specially developed for the carbonated beverage industry and can be used only in liquid products. This liquid sugar is actually part invert sugar combined with part dissolved granulated sugar. Another type, named total invert sugar syrup, is commercially processed and is almost completely invert sugar. It is used mainly in food products to retard crystallization of sugar and retain moisture