How is granulated sugar obtained. From sugar cane, beets

Do you know how sugar is made?

Sugar is not a food, but a chemical pure form added to food to improve taste. This substance can be obtained different ways: from oil, gas, wood, etc. But the most cost-effective way to obtain sugar is the processing of beets and a special type of cane, which is called sugar cane.

Do you know how sugar is actually made?

To get a white and pure refined sugar, it must be passed through a filter made of cow bones.
For the production of refined sugar, beef bone charcoal is used!

The bone char filter acts as a coarse filter and is very often used in the first step of the sugar refining process. In addition, this filter allows you to eliminate coloring substances; The most commonly used colorants are amino acids, organic acids, phenols (carbolic acids) and ash.

The only type of bone used in the bone filter is beef bones. Bone charcoal filters are the most efficient and economical whitening filters and are therefore the most commonly used filters in the cane sugar industry.
Companies use up their stocks of bone charcoal fairly quickly.
Sugar does not supply energy to the body. The fact is that the “burning” of sugar in the body is a complex process in which, in addition to sugar and oxygen, dozens of other substances are involved: vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. (until now it cannot be definitively asserted that all these substances are known to science). Without these substances, energy cannot be obtained from sugar in the body.
If we consume sugar in its pure form, then our body takes the missing substances from its organs (from teeth, from bones, from nerves, from skin, liver, etc.). It is clear that these organs begin to experience a lack of these nutrients (starvation) and after a while begin to fail.

In the production of sugar according to conventional technology, disinfectants are used: formalin, bleach, poisons of the amine group (vazin, ambisol, as well as combinations of the above substances), hydrogen peroxide and others.

"IN traditional technology juice is obtained by languishing for an hour and a half, and so that during this time the fungal mass does not grow, which can then clog centrifuges, chopped beets at this stage are flavored with formalin.
… The sucrose product in Russia is colored, lives own life, not stored without preservatives. It doesn't even count in Europe. food product, because at our sugar factories, in addition to color, technogenic impurities are also left, including formalin. Hence dysbacteriosis and other consequences. But there is no other sugar in Russia, so they keep silent about it. And on a Japanese spectrograph, we see formalin residues in Russian sugar.”

In the production of sugar, other chemical substances: milk of lime, sulfur dioxide, etc. In the final bleaching of sugar (to remove impurities that give it a yellow color, a specific taste and smell), chemistry is also used, for example, ion exchange resins.

Now about the effect of sugar on our body.

The harm of sugar has long been clearly proven. It is known that refined white sugar is an energy dummy, devoid of proteins, fats and nutrients and trace elements, and even with an admixture of residual "chemistry".

59 REASONS WHY SUGAR IS BAD TO HEALTH

1. It helps to reduce immunity.
2. May cause mineral metabolism disorders.
3. CAN CAUSE IRRITABILITY, ANXIETY, DISTURBANCE OF ATTENTION, CHILDREN'S WHIM.
4. Causes a significant increase in triglyceride levels.
5. Helps reduce resistance to bacterial infections.
6. May cause kidney damage.
7. Reduces the level of high density lipoproteins.
8. Leads to a deficiency of the trace element chromium.
9. Contributes to the occurrence of cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate, rectum.
10. Increases glucose and insulin levels.
11. Causes a deficiency of the trace element copper.
12. Violates the absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. IMPAIRS VISION.
14. Increases the concentration of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
15. May cause hypoglycemia (low glucose levels).
16. Promotes an increase in the acidity of digested food.
17. May increase adrenaline levels in children.
18. In patients with disorders digestive tract leads to malabsorption of nutrients.
19. Accelerates the onset of age-related changes.
20. Promotes the development of alcoholism.
21. Causes caries.
22. Promotes obesity.
23. Increases the risk of developing ulcerative colitis.
24. Leads to aggravation peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum.
25. Can lead to the development of arthritis.
26. Provokes attacks of bronchial asthma.
27. Promotes the occurrence of fungal diseases (causative agents - Candida albicans).
28. Can cause the formation of gallstones.
29. Increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease.
30. May cause acute appendicitis.
31. May cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Promotes the appearance of hemorrhoids.
33. Increases the likelihood of varicose veins.
34. May lead to an increase in glucose and insulin levels in women using hormonal birth control pills.
35. Contributes to the occurrence of periodontal disease.
36. Increases the risk of developing osteoporosis.
37. Increases the acidity of saliva.
38. May impair insulin sensitivity.
39. Leads to a decrease in glucose tolerance.
40. May reduce the production of growth hormone.
41. Can increase cholesterol levels..
42. Promotes an increase in systolic blood pressure.
43. Causes drowsiness in children.
44. Contributes to headaches.
45. Violates the absorption of proteins.
46. Causes food allergies.
47. Promotes the development of diabetes.
48. In pregnant women, it can cause toxicosis.
49. Promotes the appearance of eczema in children. 50. Predisposes to the development of cardiovascular diseases.
51. May disrupt the structure of DNA.
52, May disrupt the structure of proteins.
53. By changing the structure of collagen, it contributes to the early appearance of wrinkles.
54. Predisposes to the development of cataracts.
55. Contributes to the occurrence of emphysema.
56. Provokes the development of atherosclerosis.
57. Promotes an increase in the content of low-density lipoproteins.
58. Leads to the appearance of free radicals in the bloodstream.
59. Reduces the functional activity of enzymes.

But look at how much sugar is contained in some familiar foods:

Are you able to eat 16 cubes of refined sugar at a time? And drink half a liter of Coca-Cola? This is how much dissolved sugar equivalent is contained in 500 milliliters of this drink.

Look at the photos. This is how much sugar in cubes is contained in the form of sweeteners in our usual drinks and sweets. Now you understand what is the HARM of SUGAR, especially dissolved. Its harm is not immediately visible, just as dissolved sugar is not visible.

Nowadays, there are two types of raw materials from which sugar is produced - it is sugar beet and sugar cane. Beets are the most convenient and common raw material for sugar production. Since it spoils quickly, sugar factories are located near the fields.

Cane sugar is produced in tropical areas. This division is due to climatic and territorial factors. From the article you can learn more about this substance and its features.

What is white sugar made from?

Of all types of sugar, the most famous and widely used is white or refined sugar, which is made from beets, or rather from its rhizome, because it contains a large amount of sucrose. The emergence of sugar production in Europe occurred at the beginning of the 19th century, when the British, in a war with the French, completely cut off their supply of sugar, which was then produced from cane. It was accessible only to wealthy people.

Then in France they promised to give a bonus to those who find another way to get sugar, that is, from beets. In Russia, the first sugar factory was built in 1802 in the Tula province. By the end of the 19th century, Russia was not only producing sugar for itself, but also exporting it.

What is brown sugar made from?

It has been far from the first year that we have seen brown sugar on store shelves. The price of such a product is noticeably different from white sugar. Then what is brown sugar made from? And they produce such sugar from sugar cane, which grows in India. Cane sugar was first brought to Europe from the Demerara region of British Guiana in the mid-16th century and quickly became a symbol of wealth and luxury.

What is sugar made of

Cane sugar is indeed healthier than white sugar because of molasses, which contains potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, organic acids and biologically active substances. It has more vitamin B. However, the calorie content brown sugar coincides with the calorie content of white - 377 kcal.

In addition, brown sugar tastes like caramel, and its color depends on the presence of molasses in it. If there is a lot of molasses, then the sugar will be dark brown and more fragrant. It is brown sugar that Europeans prefer to add to tea or coffee. Brown sugar is popular for baking sweets and making cocktails.

SUGAR
from a chemical point of view, any substance from a large group of water-soluble carbohydrates, usually with a low molecular weight and a more or less pronounced sweet taste. It's about mainly about monosaccharides ( simple sugars) and disaccharides, the molecule of which consists of two monosaccharide residues. The former include glucose (sometimes called dextrose or grape sugar) and fructose ( fruit sugar, levulose); to the second - lactose ( milk sugar), maltose (malt sugar) and sucrose (cane or beet sugar). In everyday life, however, only the usual food sweetener, sucrose, is called sugar; it is she who will be considered in this article. Sugar (sucrose) is a sweet crystalline substance extracted mainly from sugar cane or sugar beet juice. In its pure (refined) form, sugar is white, and its crystals are colorless. The brownish color of many of its varieties is due to the admixture of various amounts of molasses - condensed vegetable juice that envelops the crystals. Sugar is a high-calorie food; its energy value is approx. 400 kcal per 100 g. It is easily digested and easily absorbed by the body, i.е. it is a fairly concentrated and quickly mobilized source of energy.
Application. Sugar - important ingredient various dishes, drinks, bakery and confectionery. It is added to tea, coffee, cocoa; it is the main component of sweets, icings, creams and ice creams. Sugar is used in meat preservation, leather dressing and in the tobacco industry. It serves as a preservative in jams, jellies and other fruit products. Sugar is also important for the chemical industry. It produces thousands of derivatives used in a wide variety of applications, including the production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, fizzy drinks and frozen foods.
Sources. Several hundred different sugars are known in nature. Each green plant forms certain substances belonging to this group. During photosynthesis from carbon dioxide atmosphere and water obtained mainly from the soil, under the influence of solar energy, glucose is first formed, and then it is converted into other sugars. IN different parts light as sweeteners, in addition to cane and beet sugar, some other products are used, for example, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, sorghum, palm and malt sugar. corn syrup- very viscous, almost colorless liquid obtained directly from cornstarch. The Aztecs, who consumed this sweet syrup, made it from corn in much the same way that sugar is made from cane today. Molasses is much inferior to refined sugar in terms of sweetness, however, it makes it possible to regulate the crystallization process in the manufacture of sweets and is much cheaper than sugar, therefore it is widely used in confectionery business. Honey different high content fructose and glucose, more expensive than sugar, and it is added to some products only in cases where it is required to give them a special taste. The same is the case with maple syrup, which is valued primarily for its specific flavor. From the stalks of bread sorghum, a sugary syrup is obtained, which has been used in China since ancient times. Sugar from it, however, has never been refined so well that it could successfully compete with beet or cane. India is practically the only country where palm sugar is commercially produced, but this country produces much more cane sugar. In Japan, it has been used for over 2000 years as a sweet additive malt sugar made from starchy rice or millet. This substance (maltose) can also be obtained with the help of yeast from ordinary starch. It is much inferior to sucrose in sweetness, however, it is used in the manufacture of bakery products and various kinds baby food. Prehistoric man satisfied his need for sugar through honey and fruits. Some flowers probably served the same purpose, the nectar of which contains a small amount of sucrose. In India, more than 4,000 years ago, a kind of raw sugar was mined from the flowers of the Madhuca tree. The Africans in the Cape Colony used the species Melianthus major for this, and the Boers in South Africa used Protea cynaroides. In the Bible, honey is mentioned quite often, and "sweet cane" only twice, from which we can conclude that it was honey that served as the main sweetener in biblical times; this, by the way, is also confirmed by historical evidence, according to which sugar cane began to be grown in the Middle East in the first centuries of our era. For a not too sophisticated taste, refined cane and beet sugar are almost indistinguishable. Raw sugar, an intermediate product of production containing an admixture of vegetable juice, is another matter. Here the difference is very noticeable: raw cane sugar is quite suitable for consumption (if, of course, obtained in adequate sanitary conditions), while beet sugar tastes unpleasant. Differs in taste and molasses (fodder molasses) - an important by-product sugar production: cane in England is readily eaten, and beet is not good for food.
Production. If the refining of beet sugar is carried out directly at sugar beet factories, then the purification of cane sugar, in which only 96-97% of sucrose, requires special refineries, where contaminants are separated from raw sugar crystals: ash, water and components, united by the general concept of "non-sugar ". The latter include scraps of vegetable fibers, wax that covered the stalk of the reed, protein, small amounts of cellulose, salts and fats. It is only thanks to the huge scale of production of refined cane and beet sugar that this product is so cheap today.
Consumption. According to statistics, the consumption of refined sugar in the country is directly proportional to per capita income. The leaders here include, for example, Australia, Ireland and Denmark, where more than 45 kg of refined sugar per person per year, while in China - only 6.1 kg. In many tropical countries where sugarcane is grown, this figure is much lower than in the United States (41.3 kg), but people there have the opportunity to consume sucrose not in its pure form, but in a different form, usually in fruits and sugary drinks.
CANE SUGAR
Plant. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is a perennial, very tall herbaceous species of the grass family, cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its sucrose content, as well as some by-products of sugar production. The plant resembles bamboo: its cylindrical stems, often reaching a height of 6-7.3 m with a thickness of 1.5-8 cm, grow in bunches. Sugar is obtained from their juice. At the nodes of the stems are buds, or "eyes", which develop into short side shoots. From them, cuttings are used to propagate cane. Seeds are formed in apical inflorescences-panicles. They are used for breeding new varieties and only in exceptional cases as seed. The plant needs a lot of sun, heat and water, as well as fertile soil. That is why sugarcane is cultivated only in areas with a hot and humid climate. Under favorable conditions, it grows very quickly, its plantations before harvesting look like impenetrable jungles. In Louisiana (USA) sugar cane matures in 6-7 months, in Cuba it takes a year, and in Hawaii - 1.5-2 years. To ensure the maximum content of sucrose in the stems (10-17% by weight), the crop is harvested as soon as the plant stops growing in height. If harvesting is done by hand (using long machete knives), the shoots are cut down close to the ground, after which the leaves are removed and the stems are cut into short pieces that are convenient for processing. Manual harvesting is used where labor is cheap or site conditions prevent efficient use of machines. On large plantations, the technique is usually used, after burning the lower tier of vegetation. Fire destroys the bulk of the weeds without damaging the sugar cane, and the mechanization of the process significantly reduces the cost of production.

Story. The right to be considered the birthplace of sugar cane is disputed by two regions - the fertile valleys in the north-east of India and the islands of Polynesia in the South Pacific. However botanical research, ancient literary sources and etymological data speak in favor of India. Many woody wild-growing varieties of sugarcane found there do not differ in their main features from modern cultural forms. Sugarcane is mentioned in the Laws of Manu and other sacred books of the Hindus. The word "sugar" itself comes from the Sanskrit sarkara (gravel, sand or sugar); centuries later, the term entered Arabic as sukkar, into medieval Latin as succarum. From India the sugar cane culture between 1800 and 1700 B.C. entered China. This is evidenced by several Chinese sources, who report that the Chinese people who lived in the Ganges valley taught the Chinese to get sugar by digesting its stems. From China, ancient navigators probably brought it to the Philippines, Java, and even Hawaii. When many centuries later pacific ocean Spanish sailors appeared, and feral sugar cane was already growing on many Pacific islands. Apparently, the first mention of sugar in ancient times dates back to the time of Alexander the Great's campaign in India. In 327 BC one of his commanders, Nearchus, reported: "They say that in India a reed grows that gives honey without the help of bees; as if you can also make an intoxicating drink from it, although there are no fruits on this plant." Five hundred years later, Galen, the chief medical authority of the ancient world, recommended "sakcharon from India and Arabia" as a remedy for diseases of the stomach, intestines and kidneys. The Persians, too, although much later, adopted from the Hindus the habit of eating sugar, and at the same time did a lot to improve the methods of its purification. As early as the 700s, Nestorian monks in the Euphrates Valley were successfully making white sugar using ashes to refine it. The Arabs, who spread from the 7th to the 9th centuries. their possessions in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, brought the culture of sugar cane to the Mediterranean. A few centuries later, the crusaders who returned from the Holy Land introduced sugar to all of Western Europe. As a result of the collision of these two great expansions, Venice, which found itself at the crossroads of the trade routes of the Muslim and Christian worlds, eventually became the center of the European sugar trade and remained so for more than 500 years. At the beginning of the 15th century Portuguese and Spanish sailors introduced sugarcane culture to the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. His plantations appeared first in Madeira, the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands. In 1506, Pedro de Atienza ordered the planting of sugarcane in Santo Domingo (Haiti) - thus this culture penetrated the New World. In just some 30 years after its appearance in the Caribbean, it has spread there so widely that it has become one of the main ones in the West Indies, which is now called the "sugar islands". The role of sugar produced here grew rapidly with the increase in demand for it in countries Northern Europe, especially after the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and the importance of the Eastern Mediterranean as a supplier of sugar fell. With the spread of sugar cane in the West Indies and the penetration of its culture into South America, more and more labor was required for its cultivation and processing. The natives, who survived the invasion of the first conquerors, turned out to be of little use for exploitation, and the planters found a way out in the importation of slaves from Africa. Ultimately, sugar production became inextricably linked to the slave system and the bloody riots it generated that rocked the West Indies in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the early days, sugar cane presses were powered by oxen or horses. Later, in places blown by the trade winds, they were replaced by more efficient wind turbines. However, production as a whole was still quite primitive. After squeezing raw cane, the resulting juice was purified with lime, clay or ash, and then evaporated in copper or iron vats, under which a fire was built. Refining was reduced to the dissolution of the crystals, boiling the mixture and subsequent re-crystallization. Even in our time, the remains of stone millstones and abandoned copper vats remind in the West Indies of the past owners of the islands, who made their fortunes in this profitable trade. By the middle of the 17th century. Santo Domingo and Brazil became the main producers of sugar in the world. Sugarcane first appeared on the territory of the modern United States in 1791 in Louisiana, where it was brought by the Jesuits from Santo Domingo. True, it was grown here at first mainly in order to chew sweet stems. However, forty years later, two enterprising colonists, Antonio Mendez and Etienne de Boret, established his plantations in what is now New Orleans, with the goal of producing refined sugar for sale. After de Boret's success in this business, other landowners followed suit, and sugar cane began to be cultivated throughout Louisiana. In the future, the main events in the history of cane sugar come down to important improvements in the technology of its cultivation, mechanical processing and final purification of the product.
Recycling. The cane is first crushed to facilitate further squeezing of juice from it. Then it goes to a three-roller squeezing press. Usually, the cane is pressed twice, wetting between the first and second time with water to dilute the sweet liquid contained in the pulp (this process is called maceration). The resulting so-called. "diffusion juice" (usually gray or dark green) contains sucrose, glucose, gum, pectin substances, acids and all sorts of pollution. Methods for its purification over the centuries have changed little. Used to juice heated in large vats over an open fire, and to remove "non-sugars" ash was added to it; now, to precipitate impurities, lime milk is used. Where sugar is produced for local consumption, the diffusion juice is treated with sulfur dioxide (sulphurous gas) immediately before lime is added to speed up bleaching and purification. Sugar turns yellowish, i.e. not completely refined, but quite pleasant to the taste. In both cases, after adding lime, the juice is poured into a settling tank-illuminator and kept there at 110-116 ° C under pressure. Next milestone in the production of raw sugar - evaporation. The juice flows through pipes to evaporators, where it is heated by steam passing through a closed system of pipes. When the dry matter concentration reaches 40-50%, evaporation is continued in vacuum apparatuses. The result is a mass of sugar crystals suspended in thick molasses, the so-called. massecuite. The massecuite is centrifuged, removing molasses through the mesh walls of the centrifuge, in which only sucrose crystals remain. The degree of purity of this raw sugar is 96-97%. The removed molasses (outflow of the massecuite) is boiled again, crystallized and centrifuged. The resulting second portion of raw sugar is somewhat less pure. Then another crystallization is carried out. The remaining edema often still contains up to 50% sucrose, but it is no longer able to crystallize due to the large amount of impurities. This product ("black molasses") goes to the USA mainly for livestock feed. In some countries, for example in India, where the soil is in dire need of fertilizers, the outflow of the massecuite is simply plowed into the ground. Briefly refining it is as follows. First, raw sugar is mixed with sugar syrup to dissolve the remaining molasses enveloping the crystals. The resulting mixture (affination massecuite) is centrifuged. The centrifuged crystals are washed with steam to give an off-white product. It is dissolved, turning into thick syrup, lime and phosphoric acid are added there so that the impurities float up in the form of flakes, and then filtered through bone char (a black granular material obtained from animal bones). The main task at this stage is the complete discoloration and deashing of the product. Refining 45 kg of dissolved raw sugar consumes 4.5 to 27 kg of bone charcoal. The exact ratio is not established, since the absorbency of the filter decreases as it is used. The resulting white mass is evaporated and, after crystallization, centrifuged, i.e. they treat it in much the same way as with sugar cane juice, after which the refined sugar is dried, removing the remains of water (approx. 1%) from it.
Production. Major producers include Brazil, India, Cuba, as well as China, Mexico, Pakistan, USA, Thailand, Australia and the Philippines.
BEET SUGAR
Plant. Sugar beets (Beta vulgaris) use a long, silvery-white root (from which sugar is obtained) and a rosette of leaves (tops), which serve as excellent fodder for livestock. The root in its thickest part reaches 10-15 cm in diameter, and its thin shoots penetrate the soil to a depth of 90-120 cm. Average weight root ok. 1 kg; up to 15% is sucrose in it, which corresponds to about 14 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Sugar beet is grown mainly in the temperate zone, and since each plant consumes an average of approx. 55 liters of water, the culture requires abundant watering. By the time of harvesting, the water content in the roots can reach 75-80%, and in the tops - 90%. According to the efficiency of photosynthesis, i.e. converting solar energy and inorganic substances into nutritious organic substances, sugar beet occupies one of the first places among plants. Her origin is not exactly known. Scientists believe that in prehistoric times it was a wild annual in Southern Europe and North Africa. Later, having got into areas with a cooler climate, the sugar beet became a biennial, storing sugar in the root in the first year, and producing seeds in the second. Now it is harvested at the end of the first growing season, when the mass of the roots and their sugar content are maximum.
Story. According to Spanish explorers, the Indians in the Santa Clara River Valley in what is now California made some kind of sweets from the juice of wild sugar beets. In Europe, the fact that beets contain sugar was already known in the 16th century, but it was not until 1747 that the German chemist A. Marggraf obtained crystalline sucrose from it. The most important event in the history of beet sugar took place in 1799, when laboratory experiments by F. Achard confirmed that the production of this product was justified from an economic point of view. As a result, as early as 1802 sugar-beet factories appeared in Silesia (Germany). At the beginning of the 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars, the British fleet blocked the coast of France, and the import of sugar from the West Indies there was temporarily stopped. This forced Napoleon to turn to the German model and build a number of experimental beet sugar factories. In 1811, things were already well established: sugar beet crops occupied over 32,000 hectares, and refineries were operating throughout the country. After the defeat of Napoleon European market was literally inundated with Caribbean sugar, and the newly emerged beet sugar industry began to wither. Interest in it, however, increased again during the reigns of Louis Philippe and Napoleon III, and since then it has been one of the important branches of the French economy. In America, beet sugar was talked about in the 1830s. The association that arose in Philadelphia delegated its representatives to Europe to study its production. From 1838 to 1879, about 14 unsuccessful attempts were made in the United States to establish the production of beet sugar. The real disaster befell the Mormons in the 1850s when they bought $12,500 worth of equipment from France, shipped it to New Orleans, then up the Mississippi to Kansas, finally from there by oxen to Utah, but they launched it like that failed. Success was achieved by E. Dyer, who applied new production methods in California. Thanks to him, America's own sugar beet production arose. Since then, it has been continuously developed, and now the share of beet sugar is approx. 25% of all refined sugar produced in the USA.
Recycling. Sugar beet - voluminous and perishable product, so processing plants are usually built near plantations. It takes approx. 27 kg of coal and 16 kg of lime and coke. The process consists of the stages already described: extraction, purification, evaporation and crystallization. First, the beets are washed, and then cut into shavings, which are loaded into a diffuser, where sugar is extracted from the plant mass with hot water. The result is a "diffusion juice" containing 10 to 15% sucrose. The remaining beet pulp serves as an excellent fodder for livestock. Diffusion Juice mixed in a saturator with lime milk. Heavy impurities settle here. Carbon dioxide is then passed through the heated solution to cause the lime to bind the non-sugar. After filtering them, they get the so-called. "Pure Juice" Bleaching involves passing sulfur dioxide gas through it and then filtering it through activated carbon. Excess water is removed by evaporation. The resulting liquid contains 50 to 65% sugar. Crystallization is carried out in huge vacuum containers, sometimes as high as a two-story house. Its product - massecuite - is a mixture of molasses with sucrose crystals. These components are separated by centrifugation, and the resulting solid sugar is dried. Unlike cane, it does not require further refining and is suitable for consumption. From molasses (the first runoff), a second, and then a third batch of already less pure crystals is obtained by evaporation. They are dissolved and refined.
Production. The main producers are Russia, Germany, USA, France, Poland, China, Turkey and Italy. In Europe, almost all sugar is obtained from sugar beets. In the USA, the sugar beet harvest in 1991 was 24,982,000 tons; it is grown mainly in Minnesota, California, Idaho and North Dakota.
MAPLE SUGAR AND SYRUP
Maple syrup is brown in color, very sweet and has a strong, distinctive flavor that results from the reactions that occur during its manufacture. Maple sugar and syrup are produced almost exclusively in the northeastern United States, mainly in the states of Vermont and New York. Both sugar and syrup are obtained mainly from the apiary of black, red, silver and sugar maples growing in these areas. By itself, it does not have a special taste, but contains an average of 3% sucrose. One tree gives from 38 to 95 liters of apiary per year, from which it turns out 35 times less syrup. American Indians added it instead of salt to cereals, soups and even meat dishes. They also taught the collection and processing of maple apiary to European settlers who tried to drain birch and gray walnut for the same purpose. The first written mention of this product dates back to 1760; it follows that maples grow in Canada, "giving a large amount of useful refreshing juice" suitable for making special sugar. The Winnebag and Chippewa tribes supplied large quantities of it to the Northwest Fur Company. Most maple sugar and syrup were produced between 1850 and 1890. In the future, the role of these products has declined, mainly because cane sugar is much cheaper. Nowadays, maple syrup is valued only for its special flavor and is consumed mainly with waffles and pancakes. The tapping is usually carried out from the end of February to the end of April; during this period, cold dry nights and sunny days contribute to sap flow. A hole 1.5 cm in diameter is drilled in a tree trunk to a depth of 5 cm and a wooden or metal groove is inserted into it, through which the juice flows into the trough. Since it can quickly ferment, the portions collected during the day are immediately sent for evaporation. Processing proceeds in general according to the same scheme as in the case of sugar cane, although the technology here is somewhat simpler.

Collier Encyclopedia. - Open society. 2000 .

Only one detail remained unchanged: first you need to grow sugar cane, collect and bring it to where it will be turned into sugar.

It is clear that the shorter the path from the field to production, and the more sugar produced in this production, the more profitable. Therefore, today the main sugar place on the planet is the island of Mauritius. It looks like it was made for growing sugar cane. At least that's what the Mauritians and, it seems, the reed itself think so.

Almost all the land in Mauritius, except for a narrow strip of beaches along the coastline and the territories of sugar factories, has been turned into a cane plantation.

First spin

When the cane crop is harvested and brought to the factory, it is crushed and then the juice is squeezed out of these wet chips. Previously, when manual labor was almost free, and the demand for sugar was predictable and small, this was done by hand. Now they use special machines that operate on the same principle as the drum of a washing machine at the spin stage.

Sweet cane juice is pumped out, and the cake, which remains dry as gunpowder, is said to be used for fuel (although it is not very clear why at least something should be additionally heated in such a heavenly climate). This juice, for all its sweetness, is very dirty, and actually there is only fifteen percent of sugar in it. The rest is water, fiber fragments, soil from the fields, chlorophyll. Clearly, something needs to be done about this.

Chalk, water and fire

First, the juice is cleaned of dirt. It is heated, then mixed with a solution of slaked lime or chalk, and in this form it is pumped into a hefty tank. Everything that follows is completely naturally: chalk binds all suspended particles and settles to the bottom of the tank, and pure juice flows out in a thin stream. The unsympathetic sediment from the tank also contains some sugar, which is a pity to throw away, so the sediment is washed with water, and this sweetish water is passed through several highly modern vacuum filters and added to the purified juice.

The purified cane juice is evaporated. They do this slowly and carefully, because you can’t miss the moment when the juice reaches the density necessary to start crystallization (but this process does not start on its own, but only by adding sugar crystals to the juice). From this point on, the juice is called "mother solution". And it's almost sugar.

Crystallization

Most sugar refineries produce sugar crystallization in at least three containers, and it is this system that allows you to get brown sugar of varying degrees of saturation. It is based on the fact that while there is at least some sugar left in the mother solution, when sugar crystals are added from the outside, the crystallization process starts with renewed vigor.

For convenience, we denote the crystallization containers A, B and C. The mother solution is placed in container A in its original state, sugar crystals are added, heating is turned on - it's started.

The sugar obtained in container A is the lightest sugar that can be obtained without further purification. The ratio of pure sucrose and molasses (black molasses) in it is balanced and pleasant to the taste. To separate the sugar from the solution, the contents of the container are processed in a centrifuge: sugar in one direction, molasses in the other. Such sugar can be immediately delivered to stores; so they do - simply by drying it with hot air.

Next, the depleted solution is transferred to container B, where crystallization is started again. The sugar obtained there is darker, its taste is richer. Some manufacturers add some of it to the light sugar from container A, add water and recrystallize, thus achieving the desired shade of color and taste.
The mother solution enters container C when the percentage of sucrose in it drops to a minimum, and the percentage of molasses grows to a maximum. The sugar obtained in it is used to start the crystallization process in vessel B. In addition, both such sugar, very dark and aromatic, and the remaining molasses are valued in their own right.

cleaning

However, if you want to get refined sugar, the process is different. After complete crystallization, the crystals raw sugar mixed with a completely empty, incapable of supporting the growth of sugar crystals, the parent liquor. This mixture is called "magma". It is treated with the same solution of chalk, and then passed through a filter made of activated carbon(this is in short). Another method, predominantly used in the United States, is to purify raw sugar with steam while rotating a turbine.

There is another way of sugar refining, which is very efficient, but, unfortunately, uses phosphoric acid, a very poisonous thing.

The white cane sugar obtained as a result of cleaning is no different from beet sugar, neither in taste nor in chemical composition. Sucrose is sucrose.

Soft caramel granulated sugar and exquisitely uneven beige cubes... It has firmly established itself on the shelves of health food stores, in expensive coffee shops and in gourmet kitchens.

Some consider it low-calorie and healthy, others - nothing more than a successful marketing ploy. What is its difference from the more familiar white refined sugar?

Myth one. Brown sugar is made from cane, white sugar is made from sugar beets.

In fact. It is not just cane, but unrefined cane, and this is a significant difference. Let's explain why.

Currently, sugar is produced both from cane and from the well-known root crop. If the finished raw product is refined, that is, completely cleaned of impurities, we get the white "sweet poison" familiar to us, which in Lately modern nutritionists are accused of all sins. Refined sugar of both origins is almost impossible to distinguish - both in composition and taste, they are almost the same. The main disadvantage of such a product is the presence in it harmful impurities, since compounds such as phosphoric and formic acid, sulfur dioxide and bleaching agents are used to clean raw materials, a small part of which remains in the composition of white sugar.

Beetroot cannot do without refining - raw has bad smell and taste.

But unrefined cane (the same brown), on the contrary, in its original form only wins, acquiring a pleasant caramel aftertaste.

Mythsecond. This is a fashionable novelty invented by modern nutritionists.

In fact. The history of the product has more than one millennium - His Majesty Sugar, made from cane, came to Europe from Ancient India before our era. In Russia, it was sometimes tasted by the strong and noble of this world in the 11th-12th centuries, and the first sugar factory appeared in our country only under Peter I - in 1719. Few could afford "white gold" - it was not for nothing that the daughters of wealthy merchants specially blackened their teeth, allegedly spoiled by overconsumption expensive treat.

Interestingly, at first, "Dolce Vita" was represented by extremely difficult-to-grow cane varieties. Almost 100 years later, sugar began to be obtained from beets, and it turned out to be cheaper and more affordable. But history, including healthy eating, develops in a spiral - the undeservedly forgotten cane sugar has again taken pride of place among healthy and tasty sweets.

Myththird. Brown sugar is less calorie and ideal for diet food.

In fact. Alas, its energy intensity is not much different from the white counterpart. But the content of useful substances is really an order of magnitude higher. Caramel color and a special smell, appreciated by connoisseurs, gives this gourmet product molasses, rich in all kinds of useful substances - potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

In addition, the taste of brown sugar is more intense, so you can add less of it to coffee and tea.

Myth four. To check the quality of sugar, you need to put it in water. Fake will color it brown, real crystals will not change color.

In fact. Indeed, cane sugar, like any popular product, is often counterfeited by browning ordinary beet sugar. But "water procedures" are unlikely to help identify a fake. Molasses is concentrated in upper layers crystals and dissolves faster. So even natural brown sugar in water will lose its color, and the water will be colored.

You can find out the authenticity of the product by taste and smell - it is quite difficult to fake them. In addition, pay attention to the supplier country - the countries of Latin America, Cuba and Mauritius inspire trust.

Myth five. Brown sugar does not withstand heat well and is not suitable for cooking.

In fact. It is indispensable for the preparation of caramel desserts, puddings, pies with sugar crust, Christmas gingerbread and other sweets and pastries. It gives cookies a crumbly texture and cupcakes a special flavor. In addition, finished products are decorated with them.

Our many faces

There are several varieties of unrefined sugar - they differ as palatability, as well as appearance.

Demerera - fine sugar with fine taste from South America and the islands of Mauritius, best friend strong coffee, fruit pies and meat in glaze.

Muscavado- Barbados sugar, ideal for gingerbread, fudge and toffee.

Turbinado - Hawaiian sugar, partially refined.

Black Barbadian– the most fragrant and dark, suitable for exotic dishes and fruit muffins.

No sweetness

Some consider sweeteners useful alternative refined sugar. This opinion is erroneous.

artificial sweeteners , originally intended for diabetics - saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame and sucrasite have zero calorie, but at the same time stimulate appetite and increase the risk of obesity (the body was “promised” carbohydrates and “deceived” - it begins to require supplements). In addition, "sweet chemistry" also has a number of side effects- from allergic reactions and headaches to an increased risk of cancer.

natural such as sorbitol and xylitol in large numbers cause stomach upset.

Popular Fructose high-calorie and poorly suited for baking and jams.

honey herb stevia, more precisely - powders and syrups from it contain almost no calories and, according to manufacturers, even have medicinal properties. But not everyone likes the specific taste of stevia, and its effect on the body has not been fully studied.

Sweets were studied by Anna Morgunova