THE NON SUCROSE PROFILE IN TWO LOUISIANA CANE SUGAR MILLS

摘要

The objective of sugar processing is to recover the maximum amount of sucrose from the cane entering the mills. The complex nature of cane juice is affected not only by the individual processing steps but also by the time of harvest. The effect is reflected by different values of several parameters. Specific effects of individual processes can reveal where sucrose is at greater risk of degradation, which affects the quality and yield of sugar. Samples from one Louisiana sugar mill were evaluated during the 1999 harvest for pH, brix, purity, color, turbidity, invert, polysaccharide, cations and ash. Samples included mixed juice, clarified juice, syrup, A, B, and C sugars and A, B, and final molasses during the early, mid and late season. A similar set of samples was obtained from a second mill during the latter part of the season. The study of process stream parameters revealed patterns of change at different stages of the grinding season. In mixed juice, pH was fairly acidic, with normal values ranging from 5 to 6. Invert declined across the season, with a moderate increase late in the season. The other parameters, including color, turbidity, polysaccharide, cations, and ash showed a mixed pattern of changes. Color increased, as expected, from juice to syrup. Conductivity ash decreased unexpectedly from juice to syrup. Turbidity decreased in clarified juice but increased in syrup. Total polysaccharide decreased in clarified juice and also in syrup. The main objective of this study was to establish a database which could serve as a reference about the nature of process streams in Louisiana and for troubleshooting problems.