The refining of white granulated sugar is a complex process that requires multiple steps to complete. First of all, sugar cane or sugar beet is the main raw material. Sugar cane is a tall plant that contains a lot of sucrose, whereas sugar beet is a root plant that also contains sucrose.
Before refining white sugar, sugar cane or sugar beets need to be cleaned and then cut into small pieces. Next, the sugar cane or sugar beets are pressed into juice through a press. In this process, an appropriate amount of lime water is added to neutralize the acidic substances in it and remove impurities and odors.
The juice obtained by pressing is sugar cane juice or beet juice, which contains components such as sucrose, minerals, vitamins, etc. In order to obtain a pure sugar juice, heat treatment is required. Heating destroys the enzymes in it and kills microorganisms, preventing sugars from being broken down and fermented. At the same time, heating also helps to remove impurities and odors.
During the heating process, constant stirring is required to prevent the sugars from crystallizing. Once sugar crystallization is formed, it is difficult to redissolve, causing the juice to become viscous and difficult to handle. Therefore, stirring is a very important operation.
This is followed by clarification. Suspended solids and impurities are removed from the juice by means of a fining agent. The fining agent is usually a mixture of proteins, diatomaceous earth, etc. These substances can adsorb suspended solids and impurities, allowing them to settle at the bottom, resulting in a clear sugar juice.
Finally, the clear sugar juice is evaporated, concentrated, and crystallized. By heating and evaporating the water, the moisture in the syrup gradually decreases and the sugar concentration gradually increases. When the concentration of sugar reaches a certain level, it crystallizes to form white sugar.
The crystallized white sugar needs to be honey separated and packaged. Honey separation is the process of separating crystallized white sugar from the mother liquor, which is usually done by a centrifuge or filter. Finally, the sugar is packaged in bags or in bulk**.
In short, the refining of white sugar is a relatively complex process, which requires multiple steps to obtain pure white sugar.