Beet sugar impure

The visual appearance of a commercial sugar product has long been used as an index of the impurities contained. Despite a general advancement in instrumentation, determination of the perceptual color is still frequently the primary control in the manufacture of white or near-colorless sugar products. This situation is shared by cane-sugar refineries and beet-sugar factories a similar state of affairs exists in the production... 

Fig. 6.—Linear Plots for Several Raw Sugars, Impure Beet Sugar, and Blackstrap Molasses, Observed at a Wave Length of 560 m/ .

Refined beet sugar contains traces of betaine as a constant impurity, and thus may be distinguished from cane sugar. 

In production of sugar, the juice extracted from the sugar cane or sugar beets is treated with a suspension of Ca(OH)2, which neutralizes the symp acidity and precipitates calcium sucrate, leaving impurities ia the solution. This is filtered and the calcium sucrate is converted to sugar and CaCO by reaction with CO2. 

Charcoal is sometimes allowed to ferment, in order to free it of its acquired impurities. This fermentation generally means merely the action of a weak acid— dilute muriatic. It is useful in beet-root establishments, on account of the large amount of lime needed to throw down the substances in the juice. In the sugar, ot in the Juice of the sugar-cano, no such excess of extraneous matter exists, and no large excess of lime ought to be used. Such at least Is the opinion of the writer, and his experience has not been small. Charcoal itself is like a cavern of mysteries, the more it is studied the more wonderful are ite secrets. Science has not yet approached the difficulties as seen in practice, and partly overcome. 

About 100 million tons world wide of sugar per year (more than half from cane, the balance mainly from beets) must be separated from five to ten times as much water and refined by more or less complete separation from a dozen impurities that are present in varying amounts. Juice... 

Serious thought and a considerable amount of effort have been devoted to the utilization of ion-exchange resins in the sugar industry. Some success has been achieved in the beet industry, but the situation is much less certain in cane-sugar production. The principal objectives are the retention by the resins of the ionic (organic and inorganic) impurities and the maximum recovery of sucrose. 

The degree of esterification can be (incompletely) reduced using commercial pectin methylesterase, leading to a higher viscosity and firmer gelling in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Highly acetylated pectin from sugar beet is reported to have considerable emulsification ability due to its more hydrophobic nature, but this may be due to protein impurities. 

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