The role of polysaccharides in sugar beet processing

The processing of sugar beet, in particularly the purification of the extracted raw juice, can be significantly hindered by the presence of polysaccharides like pectin and dextran in the extracted juice. The origin of these polysaccharides in beet processing, as well as how their presence in the raw juice affects processing will be explained. Preventive and process control measures can be applied in order to largely limit the risk that the content of these polysaccharides gets at a level where they adversely affect beet processing.