Refining of Raw Cane Sugar

Sugar refining is a multi-stage process that transforms raw sugar juice or raw sugar into high-purity, food-grade crystalline sugar. Each step plays a critical role in removing impurities, reducing color, and improving crystallization. Here's a summary of the major stages involved: 🏗️ Raw Sugar Handling ↓ 🧴 Affination ↓ 💧 Melting ↓ ⚗️ Clarification ↓ 🧲 Filtration ↓ 🎨 Decolorization ↓ 🔥 Evaporation & Liquor Concentration ↓ 🧪 Crystallization ↓ 🌬️ Drying & Cooling ↓ 📦 Screening & Packaging 1. Raw Sugar Handling Before refining begins, raw sugar must be properly received, stored, and prepared. This stage includes: Receiving and Inspection : Raw sugar is delivered via trucks, railcars, or ships and inspected for moisture, color, grain size, and contamination. Sampling protocols ensure representative analysis, and substandard sugar may be rejected or diverted. Storage and Inventory Management : Accepted sugar is stored in silos or warehouses with mo...

 Before sugar becomes the sparkling white crystals we stir into our coffee, it goes through a fascinating transformation. The first major steps in this journey are affination and melting — two processes that clean and dissolve raw sugar to prepare it for refining. In this post, we’ll explore how these steps work, why they matter, and how modern refineries optimize them for quality and efficiency. 🧪 What Is Affination? Affination is like giving raw sugar a deep cleanse. Raw sugar crystals are coated in molasses and other surface impurities that can interfere with refining. Affination washes these away, making the sugar easier to process and improving the final product’s clarity and purity. Why It’s Done: Removes molasses and color bodies Reduces ash, starch, and dextran Improves filterability and reduces turbidity How It Works: Mixing : Raw sugar is blended with a warm, saturated syrup (called affination syrup) to loosen surface impurities. Centrifugation : The mixture is spun in a...