Cane Sugar

Since it was introduced in the Colonial period, sugar cane has become one of the main crops of the Brazilian Economy. Brazil is currently the world's leading producer of sugar and ethanol and is advancing firmly in the use of biofuels as alternative energy.

WHAT IS THE ICUMSA QUALIFICATION

All of them are certified by the International Commission for Uniform Methods for Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA). This is an international regulatory organization that establishes the System for sugar quality control. Its objective is to provide homogeneous and valid analyzes worldwide.

Icumsa especially evaluates the purity of the sugar based on its color, using special instruments to be able to offer a completely reliable analysis.

SUGAR REFINING PROCESS

Refining would be the process of purifying sugar and consists of eliminating impurities and residues that remain in the sugar after its extraction.

Firstly, the juice obtained from the sugar cane plant is filtered to remove solid particles. The liquid is then passed through a fine mesh filter to remove any remaining impurities. Subsequently, the filtrate goes to a storage tank where it remains for several days so that the remaining water evaporates.

The next step is distillation. The liquid is heated until it reaches 100°C. The heat is then transferred to the water vapor in the tank. High-pressure steam is pumped through a piping system to an evaporator. The water evaporates and turns into steam. The resulting gas is cooled and collected in a separate tank. The condensate is collected and reheated to produce more steam.

Before, the cane has been cut into small pieces and placed in a hopper. The pieces of cane are transported through conveyor belts. The tapes rotate around a central axis and move along it. At the end of this journey, the pieces fall into a warehouse for storage.

Sugar is extracted from the pulp of the fruit through a juice extraction process. The juice is separated from the skin and seeds. The sugar is separated from the juice by centrifuging. The result is a white or transparent syrup.

This syrup undergoes a process called refining. This process consists of subjecting it to controlled heating until it reaches 100°C. Heat is transmitted to steam generated by the evaporator, which is pumped through piping systems to a condenser.

The sugar is then subjected to heat treatment to remove volatile compounds. The goal is to reduce the amount of soluble sugar in the syrups, which can be harmful to health. Heat treatment is carried out in a drying oven. This oven has a temperature between 80°C and 100°C.

The next step is refining. It is carried out through a chemical treatment with sulfuric acid. Sulfurous acid is a strong acid that reacts with sugar to form gluconic acid. The resulting product is crystalline sugar.

The last step is pasteurization. The pasteurization process consists of heating the sugar to a temperature above 70°C for a few minutes. The purpose of this process is to kill any bacteria that may be present in the sugar.