Brownsugarexporter.com
- The following sugars can be produced using relatively simple
low-cost technologies that are currently in use in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
East Africa and South America. In all cases these sugars can also be produced
in medium and large factories.
Scale
|
Cane processed/day
|
Type of enterprise
|
Small
|
up to 50 tonnes
|
Cottage and small village industry using traditional technology
|
Medium
|
50 to 500 tonnes
|
Small to medium enterprise using modified traditional, OPS or small-scale VP technology
|
Large
|
500 tonnes upwards
|
Larage industry using modern VP technology
|
Table 1: Scale of production
Syrups
A syrup is a liquid sugar made using relatively simple
production processes. The cane is crushed using roller type crushers extracting
the juice and discharging the waste bagasse. The juice is collected in
containers and allowed to stand for a few hours before use, to allow particles
and fines to precipitate out. The juice is then poured into the boiling pan
through a coarse cotton cloth to filter out remaining particles.
If possible the juice should be allowed to stand in
tanks for 24 hours to settle out bagasse and other solids that may have
contaminated the juice. Tanks should be fitted with a mesh lid, through which
the juice is poured, which acts as a filter.
The boiling pan is located on top of a furnace that
uses sun-dried bagasse, from the crushing operation, as fuel. Further
clarification can be undertaken by adding a small amount of vegetable or
chemical matter that coagulates during heating, trapping particles and
contaminants and bringing them to the surface during boiling. This 'scum' can
then be skimmed off and discarded.
The juice is boiled until the required concentration
is reached, around 105°C when most of the moisture has been boiled off and
crystallisation begins. The viscous juice (massecuite) is then removed, a step
known as the 'strike', and allowed to cool before bottling.
Care is needed during boiling as over-boiling will
cause crystallisation and under-boiling will result in too much water remaining
in the syrup which could lead to contamination or rapid deterioration of the
product.