Impact of beet quality on sugar manufacture Part 2. Impact of invert sugar on beet processing

In the earlier SugarProTech Facts1, Part 1, it has been explained that, apart from the traditional beet quality criteria (i.e. sugar content, K, Na, N, soil tare), additional quality criteria should be looked upon too, so to reduce their impact on processing. The invert sugar content of sugar beet is one of the most important quality parameters and thanks to recent developments it is now possible to routinely determine the glucose content of sugar beet in the tarehouse from which the total invert sugar content can be calculated.

In Part 2 of this beet quality topic it will be demonstrated that incorporating invert sugar in the (Dutch) formula for predicting the sugar loss to molasses – and so the extractability of sugar from beet – has markedly improved the correlation between beet quality analysis and sugar recovery in factory practice. The impact of the invert sugar content in beet on both sugar recovery and the need of alkali addition to process will be quantified, thereby distinguishing different beet qualities.