On 4th March, the 34th ICUMSA Session in Delhi, India, ended after two days of discussion on 14 reports presented by ICUMSA referees. A total of 62 delegates – 35 Indian and 27 from abroad – registered for the event, hosted in the world’s 2nd largest sugar-producing nation. This marked the second time India has welcomed an ICUMSA conference, the first being in 2002 in Pune.
ICUMSA is organized into nine General Subjects and seven Subjects, each overseen by a designated Referee. Every two years, these Referees compile a report summarizing developments and activities within their respective areas. The General Subjects focus on specific sugar products, such as raw and white sugar, while the Subjects cover various analytical methods, as for example chemical or microbiological methods. The Session was opened in Indian tradition by lighting of the lamp after opening addresses by Sanjay Awasthi, President of the Indian Sugar Technologists Association, and Martijn Leijdekkers, President of ICUMSA. Sadashiv Nimbalkar then spoke on the “Journey of ICUMSA in India”.
The Referee for General Subject GS1 Raw Sugar proposed to give the use of Carrez reagent and a commercially available reagent Tentative status as clarification agents in raw sugar analysis. They now need to obtain Official status at one of the next ICUMSA conferences. This is the first step in replacing the poisonous lead acetate as a clarification agent in the analytical Method, first developed by ICUMSA after its foundation in 1897. The transition to Carrez reagent for sucrose determination in molasses is also planned. Furthermore, the measurement of the polarimetric sucrose content after filtration of a (raw) sugar solution at 889 nm (NIR polarimetry) is under discussion. In this case the chemically inert diatomaceous earth would be used as filter aid dispensing the need of a clarification agent.
The ICUMSA colour Method using the MOPS buffer for sugars of 20 to 16,000 ICUMSA units has been updated and will be republished in the 2026 Methods Book supplement.
The 2026 ICUMSA Methods Book will contain an update of standard SPS 1 Polarimetry and the International Sugar Scale, which is crucial for all ICUMSA Methods for determining the polarimetric sucrose content. In future, it will be possible to replace the volumetric preparation and subsequent volume correction with the gravimetric preparation.
The Method for dextran in beet raw juice and thick juice by a modified alcohol haze method has been updated and has received the status “Accepted” with respect to raw juice.
The Method GS2-45 should be extended to include the Mayeux-Sandine-Elliker (MSE) medium and published as GS2-45 (2026) “Slime-forming Bacteria in White Sugar by Membrane Filtration or Pour Plating – Accepted”.
In the Executive Meeting, Karen Pardoe was reelected as ICUMSA Treasurer. Together with the President, Martijn Leijdekkers and the Secretary, Dierk Martin, she is one of the three ICUMSA officers.
See also: Pictures of the ICUMSA Session are available here.
