INTRODUCTION: Sugar originated from the Arabic word "sharkara" and is derived from the sanskrit world "sharkara".

Sugar is an important part of the daily diet and forming a class of edible substances which includes sucrose, lactose, and fructose. It provides the human body with requisite carbohydrates and is basically extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet. Found in fruits, honey, sorghum, sugar maple and in several other sources, it is the main ingredient of candy which is loved by children the world over. Yet, it has been blamed for causing tooth decay and excess consumption of sugar has been associated with a host of ailments like diabetes, obesity, weight gain, depression, joint pain, fatigue and insulin resistance and even cancer. Sugar is present in various forms in fruits, honey, maple syrup and other natural sources. It is extracted by an intricate process, whereby the pulp is extracted first and then, the remaining is used for producing the sugar. Sugar has wide variety of uses and is used for baking, sweets, alcoholic beverages, and even in the soap we use. Further, it is also used as a food preservative and in confectionery items. Aim and Objectives: To study the working of the sugar industry To know the manufacturing process Method and Methodology: Research over the internet Raw Materials: Sugar is a broad term applied to a large number of carbohydrates present in many plants and characterized by a more or less sweet taste. The primary sugar, glucose, is a product of photosynthesis and occurs in all green plants. In most plants, the sugars occur as a mixture that cannot readily be separated into the components. In the sap of some plants, the sugar mixtures are condensed into syrup. Juices of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) are rich in pure sucrose, although beet sugar is generally much less sweet than cane sugar. These two sugar crops are the main sources of commercial sucrose. The sugarcane is a thick, tall, perennial grass that flourishes in tropical or subtropical regions. Sugar synthesized in the leaves is used as a source of energy for growth or is sent to the stalks for storage. It is the sweet sap in the stalks that is the source of sugar as we know it. The reed accumulates sugar to about 15 percent of its weight. Sugarcane yields about 2,600,000 tons of sugar per year.

The sugar beet is a beetroot variety with the highest sugar content, for which it is specifically cultivated. While typically white both inside and out, some beet varieties have black or yellow skins. About 3,700,000 tons of sugar are manufactured from sugar beet. Other sugar crops include sweet sorghum, sugar maple, honey, and corn sugar. The types of sugar used today are white sugar (fully refined sugar), composed of clear, colorless or crystal fragments; or brown sugar, which is less fully refined and contains a greater amount of treacle residue, from which it obtains its color. The Manufacturing Process Sugar (sucrose) is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable. It is a major product of photosynthesis, the process by which plants transform the sun's energy into food. Sugar occurs in greatest quantities in sugarcane and sugar beets from which it is separated for commercial use. The natural sugar stored in the cane stalk or beet root is separated from rest of the plant material through a process known as refining. For sugarcane, the process of refining is carried out in following steps Pressing of sugarcane to extract the juice. Boiling the juice until it begins to thicken and sugar begins to crystallize. Spinning the crystals in a centrifuge to remove the syrup, producing raw sugar. Shipping the raw sugar to a refinery where it is washed and filtered to remove remaining non-sugar ingredients and color. Crystallizing, drying and packaging the refined sugar

Beet sugar processing is similar, but it is done in one continuous process without the raw sugar stage. The sugar beets are washed, sliced and soaked in hot water to separate the sugar -containing juice from the beet fiber. The sugar-laden juice is then purified, filtered, concentrated and dried in a series of steps similar to cane sugar processing. For the sugar industry, capacity utilization is conceptually different from that applicable to industries in general. It depends on three crucial factors the actual number of ton of sugarcane crushed in a day, the recovery rate which generally depends on the quality of the cane and actual length of the crushing season.

Since cane is not transported to any great extent, the quality of the cane that a factory receives depends on its location and is outside its control. The length of the crushing season also depends upon location with the maximum being in south India. Sugarcane in India is used to make either sugar, khandsari or gur. However, sugar products produced worldwide are divided into four basic categories : granulated, brown, liquid sugar and invert sugar. Granulated : Granulated sugar is the pure crystalline sucrose. It can be classified into seven types of sugar based on the crystal size. Most of these are used only by food processors and professional bakers. Each crystal size provides unique functional characteristics that make the sugar appropriate for the food processor's special need. Conclusion Sugars are a major form of carbohydrates and are found probably in all green plants. They occur in significant amounts in most fruits and vegetables. There are three main simple sugars sucrose, fructose and glucose. Sucrose is in fact a combination of fructose and glucose and the body quickly breaks down into these separate substances. The Need For Energy: All energy stored in food is derived originally from the sun and it is made by green plant life. The sun's energy acts upon the green chemical "chlorophyll" in the leaves of plants to produce sugars and starches from the carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere and the water from the roots by a process known as Photosynthesis. These carbohydrates (starches and sugar) acts as a plants food and energy supply. The energy need of human body is largely dependent on the carbohydrates that are derived from plants. A Balanced Diet: A balanced diet can come from a variety of different foods, calculated to give the desired levels of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Nutritional scientists advocate that carbohydrates should provide at least 50% of over energy requirements.