Indirect sugar colour measurements are correlated to laboratory colour measurements performed on samples that are collected on the production line after the centrifugals outlets. The challenge is to get a partial sample of about 100 g out of a centrifugal discharge of about 800 Kg and make sure it is representative of the sugar produced. To better grasp the needs of sampling, it is important to understand what "homogeneity" and "heterogeneity" mean. A flow or a product is homogeneous when all the particles composing it are strictly identical, which unfortunately is not the case in sugar industry. In theory, we should consider the sugar with two types of heterogeneities: heterogeneity of constitution - that depends on the composition of each particle (nature, shape or size) and heterogeneity of distribution that depends on the distribution of the particles in a considered lot, as described by P. Gy in its sampling theory of dynamic material systems.
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