LABORATORY CLARIFICATION TESTS WITH NATURAL FLOCCULANTS: POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR ORGANIC SUGAR PRODUCTION

摘要

The primary objective of the clarification process in sugar production is to obtain a juice with good color and low turbidity by removing the maximum amount of the impurities (dissolved and/or in suspension). Clarification is done by adding synthetic anionic polyelectrolytes, which are not acceptable for producing organic sugar. For this reason, this research evaluated watery or mucilaginous extracts from the fruits of the plant Cordia lutea (Fam. Boraginaceae) and chitosan as possible flocculating agents to clarify cane juice. Two polysaccharides responsible for the flocculant properties that contribute to the removal of impurities in cane juices were found in the watery fraction of C. lutea, bound to an insoluble lignocellulosic portion. The general sedimentation tests on a lab scale and the conditions for using both the watery extract of C. lutea and chitosan as flocculating agents in cane juices are discussed in this paper.