Refining of Raw Cane Sugar

 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...

Efficient handling and storage of raw sugar are foundational to the success of any sugar refining operation. Proper management at this early stage ensures consistent feedstock quality, minimizes losses, and sets the stage for downstream processes like affination, clarification, and crystallization. This article explores the key considerations, equipment, and strategies involved in raw sugar logistics within a refinery setting. 🚛 Receiving and Unloading Raw sugar typically arrives at the refinery in bulk via trucks, railcars, or ships. Upon arrival, it must be unloaded efficiently to prevent contamination and degradation. Sampling and Inspection : Each shipment is sampled to assess moisture content, color, ash content, and ICUMSA color rating. This helps determine processing parameters and detect any off-spec material. Pre-Transport Testing : Before dispatch, raw sugar is tested for moisture content, particle size distribution, microbial load, starch, and dextran to ensure it meets tra...

Crystallization and pan boiling are critical stages in the sugar refining process, directly influencing the quality, yield, and efficiency of sugar production. This article explores the science, equipment, and best practices behind these operations, with a focus on automation tools and energy efficiency to enhance modern refinery performance. In a typical sugar refinery, fine liquor—also known as clarified and decolorized syrup—is obtained after raw sugar solution undergoes clarification and decolorization processes. These steps remove impurities and colorants, producing a high-purity solution suitable for crystallization. After crystallization, the next step is centrifugation, where the massecuite (crystal-syrup mixture) is spun to separate sugar crystals from the remaining mother liquor. The separated crystals are then dried and cooled before packaging or further processing. 🧪 Crystallization Fundamentals Supersaturation Zones : Crystallization begins when the sugar solution reaches...

 To dissipate the adverse effects Dextran and Starch may cause in the refining process, Dextranase & Amylase enzymes are used. Alpha amylase is used in sugar refinery to hydrolyze starch into glucose and other sugars that can be crystallized or fermented. Starch is an impurity in sugarcane juice that causes viscosity and filtration problems, delays or inhibits crystallization, increases sugar losses in molasses, and impedes decolorization in refining. Alpha amylase can reduce the starch content and improve the quality and yield of sugar. Alpha amylase can also enhance the flavor and color of sugar by producing maltose and other dextrins. The ideal temperature for alpha-amylase in sugar refining varies depending on the source and type of the enzyme. Generally, alpha amylase is a thermally stable enzyme that can work between 40-70°C. Although activity of some fungal alpha-amylases may increase with temperature as high as 70-90°C. The ideal temperature of the enzyme in sugar refi...

This article provides an overview of the adverse role of Dextran and Starch in the sugar production process, including their effects on the process house and measures to control them. Dextran Leuconostoc mesenteroides is a type of lactic acid bacteria that can break down sucrose into dextrose and levulose through a biological process. Dextrose and Levulose are monosaccharide isomers of Glucose and Fructose. Leuconostoc mesenteroides produces an enzyme called dextran sucrase during the break-down which causes the polymerization of dextrose into a polysaccharide called dextran. C12H22O11 => C6H12O6+C6H12O6 => (C6H12O6)n Sucrose => Dextrose + Levulose => Dextran Dextran isn’t a specific molecule but rather a group of long chain polysaccharides which have a varying range of molecular weight from 2000 to 20000. Dextran is formed when many glucoses is attached together at ɑ 1,6 by glycosidiclinkages. It may also have branches at ɑ 1,2 or ɑ 1,4 or ɑ 1,4. Generally, it has more tha...

Sugar Final product of Sugar Refinery. Chemically, a form of Disaccharides or Carbohydrates, essentially sucrose. Raw sugar is produced in a raw sugar plant and requires further processing in a refinery. Raw sugar is the raw material for sugar refineries. Some raw sugar mills have refineries attached to them. And there are standalone refineries that purchase raw sugar from raw sugar mills and refine it in their process house. Sucrose β-D- Fructofuranosyl α –D- glucopyranoside is the chemical name of sucrose, which is pure chemical compound of formula C 2 H 22 O 11 , widely known as sugar.  Source: Wikipedia Ash Content A quantitative measurement of Solid residue from incineration in oxygen presence. High ash content in Raw Sugar will require much more filtration and have a negative impact on total sugar refining capability. Ash content in sugar products is determined by incinerating a sample in the presence of oxygen and measuring the solid residue gravimetrically. During the ...

The carbonation process is a widely used method for refining sugar from raw sugar melt. It involves the reaction of calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate, which precipitates and removes impurities and colorants from the sugar solution. The carbonation process has several advantages, such as low capital and operating costs, high color and turbidity removal efficiency, low sugar loss and environmental friendliness. In this blog post, we will explain the main steps and equipment involved in the carbonation process, as well as some tips and best practices to optimize its performance. The goal of the carbonation process is to eliminate impurities that make raw melt liquor cloudy. Carbonation is typically used in refineries before any decolorizing process. It has a positive effect on sugar liquors, reducing color by 40-50% and ash content by 20-25%. Lime and carbon dioxide are added to the sugar liquor to create calcium carbonate precipitates that absorb impurities a...

After carbonation has done its job — removing suspended solids and reducing color — sugar liquor still contains dissolved ions and trace colorants that can interfere with crystallization and final product quality. That’s where ion exchange resins come in. Acting like molecular magnets, these resins polish the liquor by swapping unwanted ions for more desirable ones, helping refineries achieve the clarity and consistency needed for premium sugar. Let’s explore how the process works, what types of resins are used, and why this step is critical in the refining sequence. 🧲 What Are Ion Exchange Resins? Ion exchange resins are synthetic polymer beads designed to attract and hold specific ions from solution. They work through a reversible chemical exchange — trading ions in the resin for those in the sugar liquor. There are two main types: Cation exchange resins : Remove positively charged ions like calcium (Ca²⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺), and iron (Fe²⁺), typically exchanging them for sodium (N...

During the processing of Sugar from Sugarcane or Sugar Beets, meager or well percentage of Molasses remains in final product. Amount of Molasses in Raw Sugar may vary depending on the use or absence of centrifuge in the processing. Such Sugar is brownish in color and has caramel-y flavor. This Sugar with little amount of molasses is knows as Raw Sugar or Brown Sugar. Refined sugars are processed from Raw Sugar. Refined Sugars are quite dissimilar to natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables and milk. Raw Sugars are processed to remove remove color and impurities. Table Sugar or Sucrose is widely used Refined sugar we use in our everyday life. Our body converts Sucrose or Sugar into Simple Sugar. Refined Sugars are extremely sweet compared to Brown/Raw Sugar and easy for our body to disintegrate. Refined Sugars are like quick energy for us as they take less time to get metabolized and provide Glucose. This is why consumption of Refined Sugars causes a quick raises of Insulin and ...

Sugar is a widely used crystal that makes our lives sweet. Sugar crystal can be colorless, white, or brownish depending on its refining state. Refined sugar is mostly colorless or white whereas less refined sugar tends towards brownish color. Chemically Sugar is Saccharides, a form of Carbohydrates. The sugar we use on daily basis refers to Sucrose, a Disaccharide. Disaccharides are formed when two Monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose and Galactose) are bonded together by Glycosidic bonding. Monosaccharides are commonly known as Simple Sugar whereas Disaccharides are called Compound Sugar. Oligosaccharides and Polysaccharides are formed from the polymerization of multiple Monosaccharides and have a longer chain. They are not considered Sugar.  Image Source: Wikipedia In a nutshell, Sucrose is the chemical name of Sugar. And it is abundant in nature. Fruits, Vegetables and Plants contains sugar in them through photosynthesis. The sugar we see in our day-to-day use, is the crystalline ...