Other Types of Sugar

Sugar industries all over the world produce four basic types of sugar

Granulated
Brown
Liquid
Invert

Granulated Sugar
Granulated sugar is pure crystalline sucrose. It can be classified into seven types of
sugar based on crystal size. Most of these are used by food processors and
professional bakers. Each crystal size has unique functional characteristics that
make the sugar appropriate for the food processors special need.
Different types of granulated sugars
Type
Regular Sugar
Fruit Sugar

Bakers Special
Superfine Sugar
Confectioners(powdered
sugar)
Coarse Sugar

Sanding Sugar

Usage
Household use, food
processing
Dry mixes like gelatine
desserts, pudding mixes,
drink mixes
Baking industry
Sweetening fruits and iced
drinks
Icings, confections,
whipping cream
Making of fondants,
confections, liquors
To sprinkle on top of baked
goods

Special Characteristic
Easier for bulk handling,
not susceptible to caking
Uniformity of crystal size
prevents separation or
settling of smaller crystals
at the bottom of the box
Dissolves easily

Highly resistant to color

change or inversion at
high temperatures
Large crystals reflect light
and give product sparkling
appearance

Brown Sugar
It is used in the food industry to develop the rich molasses-type flavour in cookies,
candies, and similar products. Sugar refiners produce brown sugar by boiling a
special molasses syrup until brown crystals are formed. Other manufacturers
produce brown sugar by blending special molasses syrup with white sugar crystals.

Liquid Sugar
Liquid sugar were developed before todays methods of sugar processing made
transport and handling of granulated sugars practical. Liquid sugar is essentially
liquid, granulated sugar and can be used in products wherever dissolved granulated
sugar might be used

Invert Sugar
Inversion or chemical breakdown of sucrose results in invert sugars, an equal
mixture of glucose and fructose. Available commercially only in liquid form, invert
sugar is sweeter than granulated sugar. It is used in the carbonated beverage
industry and food products to retard crystallization of sugar and retain moisture.

By-Products of the Sugar Industry

The sugar industry produces many by-products along with sugar. These include

Molasses
Bagasse
Beet pulp
Alcohol
Pulp for paper industry
Press-mud fertilizer
Power source from burning bagasse

Molasses
the final effluent obtained in the preparation of sugar by repeated
crystallization
the sugar in molasses cannot be removed economically
Molasses from cane sugar is called as blackstrap and that from beet is called
beet molasses
Mainly used for the manufacture of ethanol, yeast and cattle feed
Bagasse
A fibrous residue of cane stalk that is obtained after crushing and extraction
of juice
Consists of water, fiber, and relatively small quantities of soluble solids
Used as fuel in the furnace to produce steam in sugar factories
Raw material for production of paper and feedstock for cattle
Beet Pulp
The pulp, leaving the diffuser after extraction of the sugar from the beet
cossettes, is pressed in screw type presses to remove water. The pressed

pulp is enriched by the addition of molasses or concentrated Steffen filtrate

and is dried in rotary driers. Molasses dried beet pulp is excellent cattle feed.

Mud

The material removed from the filters during clarification of the juice contains
of the settled insoluble solids
Used as fertilizer
Some sugar factories extract crude wax from mud, which is used in the
manufacture of polishes

Other sweeteners
Traditionally, sugar (sucrose) or honey was used to sweeten food. In modern
food processing, a number of sweeteners are used in amounts similar to the
amounts of sugar they replace, and sugar subtitutes that are many times sweeter
than sugar.

High fructose syrups, prepared from starch, are commonly used as sugar.
High fructose syrups are only 74% sweeter than sucrose.

Sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol are also used as
sweeteners. They are derivatives of sugars that occur naturally in some fruits,
and are manufactured by chemical reduction of parent sugars. Sugar alcohols
have a lower calorie yield from the sugars which they are derived.

Fructose, prepared from hydrolysis of sucrose and isomerization of glucose

is used in the manufacture of candy, soft drinks and other processed foods.
Fructose is 124% sweeter than sucrose

Sugar Substitutes (artificial sweeteners), are synthetic compounds that

are many times sweeter than sucrose. They are used instead of sucrose of
low calorie soft drinks and other foods. Sugar substitutes are non-nutritive
and low calorie. They usually do not metabolize and go through the digestive
system without being digested

Sugar analysis
The chemical and technical control of a sugar factory is the responsibility of the
laboratory. All sugar must be accounted for through the whole manufacturing
process from the time it enters as sugarcane until it emerges as raw or refined
crystals. The primary purpose of laboratory control is to guide the operations to
optimize process conditions for the best practical results, and then estimate the

extent of sugar lost and suggest the ways to reduce these losses. In order to keep
an accurate account of the products in circulation and especially of sugar entering
and leaving the factory, weighings and analysis are made on the delivered
sugarcane, extracted raw juice from the mills or diffusion, and finished raw sugar.
The sum of sugar in the mixed juice and of sugar left in the bagasse is the total in
the sugarcane. If the sugar balance cannot be obtained, the reason must be
determined and cause of loss eliminated