What types of root vegetables are used to make the sweet product? Sugar production technology

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Sugar is an ingredient in alcoholic beverages, confectionery and bakery products, and food products. The product is widely used not only in the food industry, but also in the production of plastics and in the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, sugar production is a popular and profitable type of business, which has excellent prospects for further development.

Sugar market analysis

Sugar is an essential commodity, the demand for which is not subject to recession. Since 2011, sugar production in Russia has been growing rapidly. This is due to the reconstruction of leading factories and an increase in their productivity. There is a positive trend in sugar consumption per capita; the current figure is 19.06 kg per year. On average, each resident of Russia eats about 20 kg of sugar annually, not including the product as part of other purchased goods. The leading sugar producing countries are shown in the photo below.

Russia is among other countries and ranks second in the supply of beet sugar after the United States.

Regulatory documents regulating the activities of sugar factories

Before organizing the production of sugar from sugar beets, you must familiarize yourself with the following documents:

• GOST R 52647-2006 – Sugar beet. Technical specifications;
• GOST R 53036-2008 – Sugar beet. Test methods;
• GOST 12571-86 – Method for determination of sucrose;
• GOST R 52678-2006 – Sugar production.

Raw materials for sugar production

For the production of sugar, enterprises can use the following raw materials:

• Sugar cane– cane sugar is produced by enterprises in Brazil, India and Cuba.
• Sugar beets– enterprises in Russia, the USA, France and Germany specialize in the production of beet sugar.
• Palm sap– Palm sugar is produced in the countries of Southeast Asia.
• Starchy rice or millet– malt sugar is produced in Japan.
• Breadsorghum stalks– Sorghum sugar is consumed by residents of China. This type of sugar does not have a competitive advantage compared to cane or beet products.

Types of sugar

According to the manufacturing method, types of sugar are distinguished:

• Raw sugar– represents individual crystals consisting of sucrose;
• Powdered sugar– carefully crushed sugar crystals. Powdered sugar is widely used in the manufacture of confectionery;
• Granulated sugar– a product that is sucrose, the crystals of which are 0.5-2.5 mm.
• Rafinated sugar– a product made from high purity sucrose.

Sugar production from beets

The technological process for producing beet sugar includes the following steps:

1. Extraction

The beets are prepared: they are washed, cleaned of foreign impurities, weighed and cut into chips. Next, the chips are loaded into a diffuser, in which sugar is extracted from the beet plant mass with hot water. As a result, “diffusion juice” is extracted, which includes sucrose (10-15%) and pulp - beet shavings from which the juice was obtained. Sugar production waste is used in the production of animal feed.

2. Cleaning

Diffusion juice is mixed with lime milk. The mixture of components is carried out in a saturator. Then heavy impurities settle in the mixture and carbon dioxide is passed through the heated solution. As a result, the solution is filtered, and “purified” juice is obtained. In many plants, filtration can be carried out through ion exchange resins.

3. Evaporation - removes excess water from juice

Evaporation changes the chemical composition of the juice. Finally, the syrup is treated with sulfur dioxide and filtered using mechanical filters. The result is a syrup containing 50-65% sugar.

4. Crystallization

Crystallization is carried out in vacuum devices at a temperature of 75° C. After three hours, a product is obtained - massecuite of the first crystallization. Massecuite is a mixture of sucrose and molasses crystals. Next, the product enters the mixer, and then into the massecuite distributor and centrifuge. The crystalline sugar that remains in the centrifuge is bleached and steamed. The result is crystalline sugar.

The sugar production diagram is shown in the photo below.

Cane sugar production

History shows that the first methods of extracting sugar from cane were invented in India. Today, the production of cane sugar is in many ways similar to the technological process for producing beet products.

However, there are significant differences:

1. The first step in the production of cane sugar is pressing on rollers instead of extraction. By treating the stems with water, the equipment is able to extract about 90% of all the sugar contained in plant stems. The squeezed juice on the presses goes into the pulp trap, and then into the juice measuring tanks.

2. The second difference is the method of purifying the juice. Processing of cane sugar is carried out with a small amount of lime, and in beet sugar production, the juice is subjected to pre-defecation, defecation and saturation, as well as a second saturation, where the amount of lime reaches 3% of the weight of the beets. In the production of cane sugar, the proportion of lime is 0.07% of the total weight of the stems.

Production of refined sugar

The technology for producing refined sugar is quite simple. To make the product, you need granulated cane or beet sugar. For Russian enterprises, it is more profitable and cost-effective to use granulated beet sugar as a raw material.

Two methods have been developed for producing refined sugar:

1. Pressed method – begins with processing sugar syrup in a centrifuge. Next, pressing and drying of the finished mixture is carried out. Finally, the compressed sugar is divided into cubes.

2. Cast method – a more materially costly and labor-intensive process. The cast method involves placing the sugar mass in special molds in which it hardens. Next, the mass is filled with sugar, which contains no impurities. Washing is repeated several times. Then the lump sugar, purified from molasses, is dried and removed from the molds. Finally, the mass is divided into cubes.

Sugar production equipment

A sugar production line begins with a set of specialized equipment for preparing beets for the technological process.

The equipment set includes:

• beet lifting unit;
• hydraulic conveyor;
• sand traps;
• top traps;
• water separator;
• stone traps;
• beet washing machines.

The main sugar production line includes the following equipment: a conveyor with a magnetic separator, a beet cutter, scales, diffusion plants, a screw press, and pulp dryers.

The following set of equipment includes: defecation apparatus, filters with heating devices, saturators, sulfitators, settling tanks.

The most energy-intensive equipment is vacuum apparatus, centrifuges, and an evaporation unit with a concentrator.

The automated line is completed by a set of equipment, which includes: a vibrating conveyor, a vibrating sieve and a drying and cooling unit.

Sugar factory

To organize sugar production, it is necessary to put the plant into operation.

Beginning manufacturers can choose two ways to organize a business:

1. Buy a mini-factory for the production of sugar. When purchasing a plant, it is necessary to specify the date of commissioning of the plant. If the plant has been in operation for a long time, then the equipment may be unusable. The cost of an old plant can be up to $2 million. The price of the plant, commissioned in the 2000s, will be over $5 million.

2. Opening of a new plant and purchase of a sugar production line.

Today the following prices apply for sugar production lines:

• a line with a capacity of 10 tons per day costs $10-20 thousand;
• a line with a capacity of 15 tons of sugar daily costs about $100 thousand;
• a line with a capacity of 50 tons of product per day costs about $200 thousand.

When opening a sugar production plant, it is necessary to take into account not only the size of the initial investment, income from the main activity, but also the profit from the sale of production waste.

After all, the production of granulated sugar involves the extraction of waste: pulp and molasses. These two products can be used as barter means and sold to raw material suppliers. In the process of manufacturing the finished product, molasses is also extracted, which also has its own market.

Sugar is a sought-after product that is used in its pure form in the confectionery industry, beverage production, pharmaceuticals, plastics and a number of other areas. Thus, an entrepreneur who has established efficient sugar production can count on high business profitability.

The main advantage of the sugar business is that the products are in demand regardless of the season. Moreover, the volume of its consumption is constantly increasing, which creates preconditions for the opening of new enterprises. On average, one resident of Russia eats 20 kg of sugar. Huge volumes are needed by the food industry. Thus, there is every chance to establish mutually beneficial cooperation with large consumers in almost any region of the country.

Advantages and disadvantages of this business

The main disadvantage of this business is its significant dependence on the places where raw materials grow. In the Russian Federation, most products are made from sugar beets, the cultivation centers of which are concentrated in the Central, Volga and Southern districts. Thus, transport costs increase significantly for producers from other regions.

The basic advantage lies in the single-component nature of the product - the entrepreneur only needs to find one or two responsible suppliers to ensure uninterrupted supply to the enterprise. In addition, the level of sugar consumption is high and the organizational costs are relatively low, allowing for a quick return on investment.

Organization of sugar production

To open a large-scale business, the organizational form is optimal. It is also necessary to obtain permits from the SES, fire inspectorate and other authorities. It is recommended to check specific regulations locally as they may vary from region to region.

The requirements for the final product are regulated by a number of standards, the main ones being:

• Sugar beet. Technical specifications (R 52647-2006);
• Sugar beet. Test methods (R 53036-2008);
• Method for determination of sucrose (12571-2013);
• Sugar production (R 52678-2006).

Types of sugar products

Using various technologies, it is possible to obtain products that differ in their properties. There are 4 types of sugar:

• Refined sugar is highly purified sucrose in the form of individual pieces (usually cubic).
• Sand - in the form of crystals 0.5-2.5 mm in size.
• Raw - in the form of individual uncrushed crystals.
• Powder is powdered sucrose obtained by grinding crystals.

Sugar production equipment

Each production stage requires the use of certain units. Thus, a set of installations for the preparation of raw materials includes washing devices, a water separator, stone, sand and tops traps, a hydraulic conveyor and beet lifting equipment.

The basic line is equipped with a beet cutter, pulp dryers, a screw press, a diffuser, scales, and a conveyor with a magnetic separator.

Juice purification is carried out using sedimentation tanks, sulfitators, saturators, filters with a heating option, and defecation units.

Crystallization is carried out with the participation of an evaporation unit with a concentrator, a centrifuge, a vacuum apparatus, a drying and cooling chamber, a vibrating sieve and a vibrating conveyor.

You can organize a plant either from scratch or by purchasing a ready-made sugar production line. In the first case, the cost of the equipment directly depends on the power. For example, equipment designed to produce up to 10 tons of products per day will cost about $20,000. The price of a complex that allows you to produce 50 tons of sugar is about $200,000.

When purchasing an existing complex, it is important to assess the degree of its wear and tear. As a rule, specialized organizations are involved for this purpose. On average, the price of equipment launched before 2000 is up to 2,000,000. More modern complexes can cost $5,000,000 or more.

Raw materials

A stable tradition of sugar production from sugar beets has developed in the CIS. But at the moment, more and more manufacturers prefer imported raw materials. Along with root vegetables from the USA, France, Germany, the following are widely used:

• stalks of bread sorghum (mainly from China);
• starchy rice and millet (producing malt sugar);
• palm sap (from Southeast Asia);
• sugar cane (supplied from India, Cuba, Brazil).

Sugar production technology + Video of how they make it

Beet sugar

The classic technology for making sugar from sugar beets includes the following steps:

• Extraction. Root vegetables are washed, peeled, weighed and sent for shavings. The resulting intermediate product is loaded into a diffuser, where it is mixed with water and heated, thus obtaining diffuse juice with a 15% sucrose content.
• Diffuse Juice Purification. Lime milk is added to the mass and several stages of purification are carried out.
• Evaporation of liquid. Under the influence of high temperature, water gradually evaporates. The result is a syrup in which about 50% of the volume is sucrose.
• Crystallization. The syrup is sequentially fed into centrifuges, massecuite distributors and vacuum units. Having gone through the listed stages, the raw material turns into sugar, which the consumer is accustomed to seeing.

Video how to do it:

Rafinated sugar

An installation made in China, capable of producing 150-200 kg of products per shift, costs about RUB 2,000,000, equipment from one of the Turkish companies costs about RUB 7,000,000. Along with this, a packaging line will be required (₽600,000).

There are two types of such sugar: pressed and cast. The first is made from granulated sugar by centrifuging, pressing, drying and dividing into cubes of a specified size. Cast sugar is made by loading granulated sugar into molds and letting it sit until it hardens completely. Then the raw material is poured with pure sugar several times and washed to remove molasses. The prepared layers are dried and split into cubes.

Cane sugar

In general, the process is reminiscent of extracting sugar from sugar beets, with the exception that instead of extraction, the pre-soaked stems of the plant are pressed on special rollers. In this way, 90% of the sucrose contained in the cane is extracted. After this, the juice is fed into the pulp trap and processed using juice meters.

Molasses and pulp

By-products from the sugar manufacturing process are used as livestock feed. As a rule, they are bartered for beets from agricultural producers. Pulp (or molasses) is also in demand by a certain category of consumers.

The production of candice sugar, which is quite large transparent crystals, can also become a source of additional income. To do this you will need to purchase special equipment.

Room

The requirements for the premises where the production equipment will be located are similar to those put forward for any food production. Its area is adjusted depending on the dimensions of the equipment. It is necessary to have communications (water supply, sewerage, electricity), a sanitary facility, a dry and well-ventilated warehouse complex, since sugar quickly absorbs odors.

Seasonality of the production process

The main load on the production complex falls on 3-4 months, when the raw materials ripen. After this period, it is necessary to carry out a technical inspection of the equipment and, if necessary, repair it.

The processes taking place within the framework of sugar production are considered safe, since they are not sources of dust, toxic gases, etc. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the high noise level during operation of the plants.

Capacity expansion

Most beginning manufacturers initially focus on the production of granulated sugar. And only after achieving payback they make a decision to expand production. As a rule, we are talking about the manufacture of the following products.

Profitability of the sugar business

With efficient organization of production, investments pay off in 6 months. In this case, the purchase price of the equipment is of great importance. Thus, European units with a capacity of up to 20 tons of sugar per day will cost at least €90 thousand.

You should also pay attention to the issues of selling the finished product. An entrepreneur needs to create a recognizable brand, develop a packaging design that is attractive to consumers, and establish a stable sales market.

Sugar cane was the main raw material for the production of pure sucrose until 1747, when the German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf obtained crystalline sucrose from sugar beets. In 1799, Franz Karl Achard confirmed that the production of this product was justified from an economic point of view and as a result, the first beet sugar factories appeared already in 1802. The discovery that sugar can be obtained from sugar beets has led to the fact that sugar has now turned from an expensive and exotic flavoring additive into a mass consumer product. In our country, two main types of sugar are produced: granulated sugar and refined sugar. In addition, liquid sugar is produced for the food industry.

Getting granulated sugar

It begins with harvesting sugar beet roots of the first year of development, containing 20-25% dry matter, including sucrose from 14 to 18%. The remaining amount of dry matter consists of non-sugars (on average 3%), which include reducing sugars and raffinose, nitrogen-containing and non-nitrogen organic substances, and minerals. In this case, the root crops of standard sugar beets must meet the following requirements:

• - physical condition without loss of turgor
• - flowering root crops,% no more than 1
• - dried root vegetables,% no more than 5
• - root vegetables with strong mechanical
• - damage,% no more than 12
• - green mass,% no more than 3
• - keeping mummified, frozen, rotten root crops is not allowed.

The preparation of sugar beets and the extraction of juice from them is carried out in the beet processing department. Beetroot accepted for processing is transported using a hydraulic conveyor to the workshop. At the same time, the beets are washed with water and freed from foreign impurities (straw, tops, stones, sand). Then, in special washing machines KM-3-57M, the beets are finally cleaned of dirt and impurities. Effective washing is carried out in jet beet washers. Metal impurities are removed using an electromagnetic separator. Cleaning beets is of great importance, as it affects the quality of the diffusion juice and the yield of sugar.

Clean beets are cut on centrifugal, disc or drum beet cutters into thin chips of grooved, diamond-shaped, lamellar and other shapes, depending on the quality of the beets and the type of diffusion apparatus.

The technological scheme for producing granulated sugar includes the following operations

Sugar is extracted from beet chips using hot water (70-75°C) using the countercurrent diffusion method in diffusion apparatuses. Sugar and other soluble substances diffuse through the cell walls into water and form diffusion sap. Desugared chips are called pulp; they are used for livestock feed and to obtain pectin. The duration of active diffusion, depending on the type of apparatus, ranges from 60 to 80 minutes.

Diffusion juice contains 15-16% dry matter, including 14-15% sucrose and about 2% non-sugars. It foams strongly, has an acidic reaction, a characteristic odor and a dark, almost black color, due to the presence of oxidation products of tyrosine and beet pyrocatechol.

All non-sugars (soluble proteins, amino acids, pectin substances, reducing sugars, etc.) delay the crystallization of sucrose and increase the loss of sugar with molasses, therefore physical and chemical purification is carried out in several stages:

• 1. Defecation - treatment of juice with lime milk to neutralize acids, coagulate colloidal and coloring substances, precipitate calcium, magnesium salts and other impurities. During the process of defecation, hard-to-filter calcium salts and coloring substances are formed from non-sugars that have passed into solution, deteriorating the quality of the purified juice. Therefore, after defecation, saturation is carried out.
• 2. Saturation - treatment of juice with saturation gas containing 30-34% carbon dioxide. During this operation, excess lime is removed in the form of fine-crystalline calcium carbonate CaCO3, on the surface of which colored non-sugars that were not removed during diffusion are adsorbed. After saturation, the juice is filtered to remove sediment and subjected to sulfitation.
• 3. Sulfitation - treatment with sulfur dioxide to provide and reduce alkalinity.

As a result of purification, the content of non-sugars in the juice is reduced by 30-35%. Purified juice contains 12-14% dry matter. Of these, 10-12% sucrose, 0.5-0.7% nitrogenous substances, 0.4-0.5% nitrogen-free organic compounds, 0.5% ash. The purity of the juice is 85-92%.

To obtain crystalline sugar, the juice is concentrated by evaporating the water in two stages. First, syrup with a dry matter content of 65% is obtained from the juice using four-effect evaporators and a concentrator. The syrup is mixed with yellow sugar and sulfated to pH 7.8-8.2 at a temperature of 80-85°C, then heated to 90-95°C and filtered with the addition of active carbon or other adsorbents. The purified syrup is boiled in a vacuum apparatus onto a massecuite, which contains 92.5% dry matter and consists of sucrose crystals (about 55%) and an intercrystalline solution containing non-sugars and a saturated sucrose solution.

To speed up the formation of crystals, a little finely ground powdered sugar is added to the syrup - a seed, seeds, particles of which serve as crystallization centers. After planting, the crystals are grown. To do this, new portions of syrup are introduced into the vacuum apparatus while simultaneously intensively evaporating moisture.

The massecuite of the first crystallization is lowered into a massecuite mixer, from where it enters the centrifuge through a massecuite distributor. Centrifugation separates the sucrose crystals and the two effluents. A thin film of intercrystalline liquid remains on the surface of the crystals. To remove it more completely, the crystals are whitened in a centrifuge with water at a temperature of 70-95°C in an amount of 3-3.5% by weight of the massecuite. The first outflow is an intercrystal solution of massecuite, the second is a solution obtained by whitening sugar. To maximize the extraction of sugar contained in beets, sucrose crystallization is carried out repeatedly.

After whitening, granulated sugar is unloaded from a centrifuge with a water content of 0.8-1% onto a vibrating conveyor and fed into drying and cooling units by an elevator. Sugar is dried with hot air to a standard humidity of 0.03 -0.14%, and then cooled to a temperature of 25°C. To remove ferroimpurities, sugar is passed through a magnetic separator, and in a sorting unit, lumps of unbleached or sticky sugar are removed and three fractions are separated according to the size of the crystals. The finished granulated sugar goes into a bunker for storage or packaging.

Complete typical technological scheme for producing granulated sugar

The food industry has always been one of the branches of the economy that is resistant to changes in the market. There is always a demand for food industry products, and it is stable. The simplest products in the consumer basket are the most profitable for production. Single-ingredient products, one of which is sugar, bring especially great benefits.

The consumption of the product is massive, and the costs of its production are not so high. In Russia, the main raw material for sugar production is beets or cane.

Beet- the main component of production. This is a biennial plant; in the first year it produces roots, and in the second year it produces seeds for further cultivation. Each fruit weighs about 200 grams. Only first-year plants are always used in production.

The production of sugar from beets should be divided into several steps:

1. Washing beets from excess particles.
   With automated beet harvesting, about 10-12% of the mass of the resulting raw material consists of excess soil, tops, straw, stones and even metal objects; they must be eliminated. To clean beets from debris, equipment equipped with detectors is used that catch foreign objects and eliminate them.
2. Giving beets the appearance of shavings.
   To give the beet root a chip shape, use special beet cutters with diffusion knives. The ideal chip size is 1 mm. It is optimal for processing raw materials in diffusion machines.
3. Sugar extraction.
   Sugar extraction is carried out by the diffusion method using a special solvent. In this case, sucrose is extracted in production, and the solvent is water. Beet fibers are soaked in diffusers. The output is diffusion juice. After this, the juice is separated from the desugared chips in special machines and subjected to other manipulations to obtain household crystalline sugar.
4. Crystallization.
   After purification, the juice is concentrated to syrup in an evaporator. Next, pure sucrose is isolated from the resulting syrup mixture.

Features of the production process:

• The production of sugar from sugar beets has some disadvantages. The plant is usually tied to areas where raw materials for sugar production grow. In our country they are concentrated in the Central, Volga and Southern federal districts. In other areas, production is carried out using imported raw materials.
• In Russia, imported raw materials are predominantly used, as they increase the cost of the finished product and the selling prices of sugar.
• The key to the success of sugar production lies in quality equipment rather than in the recruitment of qualified workers.
• It is better to organize production aimed at a small region for the supply of finished raw materials
• Only first-year beets are used in production

Equipment used

Equipment for sugar production includes a different number of machines. You can assemble them yourself, or you can buy a ready-made sugar production line or even a whole plant at once. The approximate price of a line for the production of 10 tons of sugar per day will cost 7 thousand rubles, 15 tons is twice as expensive, and a line for 50 tons costs 35 thousand rubles.

If you are ready to purchase the entire plant, then be prepared for pitfalls. Against the backdrop of established connections for the supply of sugar and other advantages, you may not notice that the production equipment is long outdated and significantly exceeds depreciation.

To avoid getting into trouble, use the services of equipment specialists; they will help assess the condition of each machine so that you do not have to increase your costs on repairs.

The complex of special equipment for preparing beets for processing includes the following machines:

• Installation for raising sugar.
• Hydraulic conveyor.
• Garbage trap.
• Water separator.
• Washing.

By learning more about the different ones, you can stand out among the manufacturers of this product.

And if you decide to connect your business with construction, then after reading about concrete preparation technology, you will make progress in solving this issue.

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The sugar production line itself includes:

• Conveyor with magnetic separator.
• Beet cutter.
• Scales.
• Diffuser.
• Evaporation plant.
• Screw press.
• Drying for pulp.
• Special filters and heating devices, settling tanks, sulfitators.

The most popular equipment models:

1. Teknikeller TYO-KR C2P - Semi-automatic line.
   Turkish line for sugar production. Installation dimensions – 11,500*300*2.80 m. Electricity consumption – 10.5 kV. Daily water consumption is 70 l. Productivity 250-290 kg of sugar per hour. Drinking water is used for production.
2. Taysan Makina - Line for the production of refined sugar type R.
   Performs pressing and packaging of finished sugar raw materials. Sugar dust is mixed with water, compacted, and dried. On a conveyor belt, robots place the formed pieces into boxes and seal them. Line dimensions – 36*10*3 m. Capacity – 8-25 tons per day. It is possible to pack sugar in boxes of different sizes - from 0.25 kg to 1 kg.
3. Beet cutter T2M-SC2B.
   Centrifugal beet cutter. Needed to obtain shavings from beet roots. Productivity – 1.5-3 tons per day. This type of machine exists in different configurations - with 12, 16 and 24 knife frames. The more knife frames, the greater the productivity of the device.
4. VDF-6 disc water separator.
   Helps separate beets from water, as well as from various impurities.
5. Sump for transport and washing water Sh1-P1700.RE.
   A vertical settling tank for purification of conveyor-washing water is used to separate tops, roots, solid impurities and suspended particles of earth from the conveyor-washing water in order to reduce the amount of excess water with removed sediment. Capable of cleaning 1,500 tons per day.

There is a huge variety of machines for the production of granulated sugar and refined sugar from beet roots. The leaders in equipment production are China and Türkiye.

Video about sugar production