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Technology And Manufacturing Process Sugar (sucrose) is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable. It is a major product of photosynthesis, the process by which plants transform the sun's energy into food. Sugar occurs in greatest quantities in sugarcane and sugar beets from which it is separated for commercial use. The natural sugar stored in the cane stalk or beet root is separated from rest of the plant material through a process known as refining. For sugarcane, the process of refining is carried out in following steps : Pressing of sugarcane to extract the juice. Boiling the juice until it begins to thicken and sugar begins to crystallize. Spinning the crystals in a centrifuge to remove the syrup, producing raw sugar. Shipping the raw sugar to a refinery where it is washed and filtered to remove remaining non-sugar ingredients and color. Crystallizing, drying and packaging the refined sugar. Beet sugar processing is similar, but it is done in one continuous process without the raw sugar stage. The sugar beets are washed, sliced and soaked in hot water to separate the sugar-containing juice from the beet fiber. The sugar-laden juice is then purified, filtered, concentrated and dried in a series of steps similar to cane sugar processing. For the sugar industry, capacity utilization is conceptually different from that applicable to industries in general. It depends on three crucial factors- the actual number of ton of sugarcane crushed in a day, the recovery rate which generally depends on the quality of the cane and actual length of the crushing season. Since cane is not transported to any great extent, the quality of the cane that a factory receives depends on its location and is outside its control. The length of the crushing season also depends upon location with the maximum being in south India. Sugarcane in India is used to make either sugar, khandsari or gur. However, sugar products produced worldwide are divided into four basic categories : granulated, brown, liquid sugar and invert sugar. Granulated : Granulated sugar is the pure crystalline sucrose. It can be classified into seven types of sugar based on the crystal size. Most of these are used only by food processors and professional bakers. Each crystal size provides unique functional characteristics that make the sugar appropriate for the food processor's special need. The different types of granulated sugar and their suitability for usage is as given in table below. Type Usage Special characteristic Regular sugar house hold use, food processing Easier for bulk handling, not susceptible to caking Fruit sugar dry mixes like gelatine desserts, pudding mixes and drink mixes. uniformity of crystal size prevents separation or settling of smaller crystals at the bottom of the box Bakers special baking industry   Superfine sugar sweetening fruits and iced-drinks dissolves easily Confectioners or Powdered Sugar icings, confections and whipping cream   Coarse sugar making of fondants, confections and liquors highly resistant to color change or inversion at high temperatures Sanding sugar to sprinkle on top of baked goods large crystals reflect light and give the product a sparkling appearance Brown sugar : It is used in home and food industry to develop the rich molasses type flavor in cookies, candies and similar products. It consists of sugar crystals coated in a molasses syrup with natural flavor and color. Many sugar refiners produce brown sugar by boiling a special molasses syrup until the brown sugar crystals are formed. A centrifuge spins the crystals dry. Some of the syrup remains giving the sugar its brown color and molasses flavor. Other manufacturers produce brown sugar by blending a special molasses syrup with white sugar crystals. Liquid sugar : Liquid sugars were developed before today's methods of sugar processing made transport and handling granulated sugars practical. Liquid sugar is essentially liquid granulated sugar and can be used in products wherever dissolved granulated sugar might be used. Invert sugar : Inversion or chemical breakdown of sucrose results in invert sugar, an equal mixture of glucose and fructose. Available commercially only in liquid form, invert sugar is sweeter than granulated sugar. It is used in carbonated beverage industry and in food products to retard crystallization of sugar and retain moisture. Sugar produced in India is mainly of granulated type. Granulated sugar is further classified in to various types based on color and grain size. According to the Indian Standards Specifications (ISI), there are around 20 grades of sugar based on the grain size and colors. The color series has four grades designated as 30,29,28 and 27, while the grain size has five grades namely A, B, C, D, E. Bulk of production in the country is of C, D and E grains, branded as large, medium and small and has color specification of 30. The D grade produced in the country is comparable to world standards. Other sector reports Previous chapter Next chapter

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