The production process of white sugar
First, the selection of raw materials.
The selection of raw materials for white sugar is the first step in the entire production process. High-quality raw materials are the basis for the production of high-quality white sugar. Generally speaking, the raw materials of white sugar are mainly sugarcane and sugar beets. These ingredients are rich in sucrose, making them ideal for making white sugar.
2. Raw material pretreatment.
Before the raw material enters the production line, it needs to be pre-treated. The purpose of pretreatment is to remove impurities and odors from the raw materials and improve the purity of the raw materials. Pretreatment includes washing, crushing, screening and other steps.
3. Sugar juice extraction.
Sugar juice extraction is one of the key steps in the production of white sugar. Through heating, pressing and other processes, sucrose juice is extracted from raw materials. Temperature and pressure need to be controlled in this process to ensure the quality and purity of the sucrose juice.
Fourth, filter and clarify.
The extracted sucrose juice contains impurities and pigments, which need to be filtered and clarified. The purpose of filtration clarification is to remove impurities and pigments and make the sucrose juice more pure. Filtration clarification usually uses physical methods such as precipitation, filtration, etc.
5. Evaporation and concentration.
The filtered and clarified sucrose juice needs to be evaporated and concentrated. The purpose of evaporative concentration is to remove water and increase the concentration of sucrose juice. The evaporation and concentration process requires temperature and evaporation speed to ensure the quality and purity of the sucrose juice.
6. Crystallization. The evaporation of the concentrated sucrose juice requires crystallization. The crystallization operation is the crystallization of the sucrose molecules in the sucrose juice into a solid form. In this process, the temperature and crystallization time need to be controlled to ensure the quality and purity of the sucrose crystals.
7. Centrifugal separation.
The crystallized sucrose crystals need to be centrifuged. The purpose of centrifugal separation is to separate the sucrose crystals from the mother liquor to obtain a pure white sugar product. During the centrifugal separation process, the rotation speed and separation time need to be controlled to ensure the quality and purity of the white sugar product.
8. Dry packaging.
The centrifugal white sugar products need to be dried and packaged. The purpose of dry packaging is to remove moisture and odor from the product and ensure the quality and taste of the product. Dry packaging usually adopts methods such as hot air drying or vacuum drying. Finally, the dried white sugar product is packaged to obtain the finished white sugar.
In the whole white sugar production process, each step has strict operational requirements and control standards. Only by strictly producing in accordance with the operational requirements and control standards can the quality and purity of white sugar products be guaranteed. At the same time, with the continuous progress of science and technology and the upgrading of equipment, the production process of white sugar is also constantly improving and perfecting. In the future, the sugar production process will be more efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable.