Quality Parameters Of Commercial Sugar

Amazoniac

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http://file.scirp.org/pdf/NS_2016031715513695.pdf

"Refractive Apparent Purity (also known as polarization or simply purity) describes the capacity of sweeten other substance, besides of being an element that represents more quality of the product [6]. This parameter can be understood as the apparent weight percentage of sucrose. This measure is done in a solution of sugar and can be analyzed due to the deviation of the light in the polarized plane [3][6][16]. The result ranges in a scale of 0 (absence of sucrose in the solution) to 100 (100% of sucrose in the solution) and the result is expressed officially in oZ (degrees Zucker) [6][16]."
"The standard of sucrose concentration that assures the minimum value to white sugars of direct consumption is 99.7oZ (that means 99.7%), which the rest is constituted by impurities [6]. The exceptions to these standards are the types of sugar demerara and brown ones, due to difference in the processing, generally using less or none chemical additives to treat the cane juice, what keeps with similar features of sugarcane juice [17][18]. Consequently, the purity are lower in these types than in the white ones [6][17][18]."
"Besides the insoluble residues, other substances can affect this parameter, such as the starch and correlated molecules (e.g., amylopectin) and high content of ashes. For the mills, the final purity of sugar is key to constantly monitor process quality, because lower results for this parameter can predict problems during sugar processing, mainly in the steps of sugarcane juice treatment and its purification [6][38][39]."

"Color of sugar is expressed in Units (U.I.) of International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA). It is an important attribute to sugar quality, because can influence the final characteristics of sugar uses (sweetness and color of food) [6][18]. Color is directly related with the size of particulate material (as smaller, more white), which is crucial for the quality of crystal and refined types [6]."
"Insoluble residues and the types of mineral that compound the ashes can influence the color, turning it higher, i.e., more yellow [6]. The darker is a sugar, less preferred it is for the consumers and, due to this behavior, it can be labeled as a sugar with low quality [6][38][39]. In addition, sugar color is also influenced by the carbonized particle content in the product, which are entrained in the process as result of failures in the cleaning process in the equipment and machinery [39][40]."

"Humidity analysis (expressed in percentage) is based in the drying of sugar, under specific conditions of time and temperature [18]. The final result is obtained when weight loss (due to the water removal) becomes constant [18]. Humidity in sugar is one of the more important parameters, because influences the stability, quality (with the appearance of clods and sugar stones) and the composition of sugar [19][20]. The analysis also represents a parameter to evaluate the microbiological contamination due to its higroscopicity (capacity of absorbing water from an environment that offers relative humidity greater than balance) [3][19]-[22]. This property of sucrose is undesirable in function of dextran formation, polymeric material secreted by bacteria of genus Leuconostoc that transforms sucrose in glucopyranosyl (Figure 1) [19][21]. The humidity range to sugar is 0.1% to 3.3% depending of the type sugar, being tolerated until 5% to raw sugar [18][19][23]."
"Unfavorable environmental conditions, like high relative humidity of environment and also intrinsic properties of sugar, like higroscopicity, can cause damages in the results, overestimating them [3][24]."

"Insoluble residues are composed by particulate material, which is in suspension or precipitate in a solution of sugar [6]. Usually, the residues are composed by sugarcane soots, sand, metallic residues, silica and others [6][24]. The lower is its concentration in sugar, higher is the quality of the product and the process [6][16][24]. This aspect is important considering the unit operation of decantation, during the treatment of juice. Sugars, generally, have to present residue content of 10 to 60 mg∙kg−¹ [6]. The higher concentrations occur normally in sugars which unit operations of treatment of sugarcane juice and decantation less aggressive [24]-[26]. Insoluble residues are impurities that consumers can recognize, both visually and by taste [6][24][26]."

"Conductivity ashes analysis consists in removing organic matter of sugar, leaving only the inorganic residue (also known as mineral residues, like calcium, iron, magnesium etc.). This parameter allows characterizing the mineral content of the product by measuring the electric current of the minerals in sugar solution. Higher concentration of ashes in sugar can represent problems during its production, mainly in the step like crystallization and purification. The ashes are related with important parameters of sugar, like color and purity, because it can affect them [6][25][26]."

"To sort crystal sugar in “sugar types”, many parameters are considered and the most important are: purity, insoluble residues, concentration of Sulphur dioxide and color."

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[6] Google Translate

"1. Introduction

Sugar is food. Therefore, it must be produced, packaged and stored as such, to reach the final consumer while maintaining this basic feature.

It is essential to maintain complete traceability in the production chain to ensure total safety in the use of the product, whatever its subsequent use.

In order to guarantee a high level of sugar quality, it is also essential to keep a strict control of the various items of the product specification during the production process, with direct application of the GMP, HACCP, etc. concepts.

Some of the different types and / or commercial names of sugars produced and offered on the market ( Table 1 ) seek to follow this principle and, in this context, the following items of quality considered as more relevant are commented on.

2 Material and Methods

2.1 Polarization or Pol (° Z)

The polarization of sugar officially expressed in ° Z (degrees Zucker) defines the percentage of sucrose in sugar, whose value for sugar of direct consumption is always higher than 99.7%. It is considered to be a very high purity product, similar to even some pharmaceuticals, since the present 0.3% "impurities" correspond to glucose (0.04%), water (0.04%), salts Minerals (0.05%), other saccharides (0.04%), the remainder consisting of the small share of polysaccharides, starch, tiny solid particles, colored compounds of the cells and bark of cane, etc.

Sugars with sucrose contents lower than 99.5% are basically used as raw material for further refining and are never consumed directly, except in the cases of brown sugar, rapadura, etc.

2.2 Color (UI): ICUMSA units

The item called Color, perhaps the main sugar quality characterization item, measures the greater or lesser light passing through a 50% sugar solution at a defined wavelength (420 nm).

Almost all of the food industry uses sugars classified as having a color <45 IU, <100 IU, <150 IU, <200 IU, and less than 400 IU ( Table 1 ), whose upward scale indicates a visual yellowing of the glass.

Although there is no direct correlation due to the presence of other components in sugar, lower [value for the] sugar is always associated with a better quality of the product.

It is well known the impact that a higher sugar brings to finished products that have in their color or transparency the market differential, such as: soft drinks, bitter alcoholic beverages, refreshing bullets, pharmaceuticals, ice creams, among others.

Sugars that are marketed as raw material for later re-processing also maintain a direct relationship between color and costs, with smaller sugars representing lower industrial costs.

2.3 Insoluble residue (mg.kg -1)

This item characterizes the insoluble particles present in the sugar, retained in a membrane of 8 μ and with its content expressed in mg.kg -1 . They are identified as: small particles of bagasse, silica, mineral salts, gums, magnetizable particles, carbonized sugar, etc.

The insoluble content varies from 10 to 60 mg.kg -1 in the different types of sugar and certain methodologies are also classified through a comparative visual scale from 0 to 10. The different characteristics of the particles present (density, composition, etc.) Do not allow to establish a good statistical correlation between the two scales.

The presence of these particles in the finished product can be perceived sensorially by the tongue (candies, sweets, ice cream, tablets, etc.) or visually (liquors, refrigerant, isotonic and transparent liquids), creating the image of a finished product of poor quality or Even deteriorated.

It is further added that when in some reprocessing processes, where the sugar is dissolved and subsequently filtered, these particles also partially contribute to a reduction in the cycle of operation of the filters.

2.4 Magnetizable particles (mg.kg -1)

Magnetizable particles present in the sugar come from the metal parts of process equipment, and represent those particles that escaped from the magnetic separation systems installed in the mills. Magnetic fields up to 8,000 Gauss have not been sufficiently efficient for the complete elimination of these particles, mostly with dimensions smaller than 1 mm.

The limit of detection of available analytical methods is around 0.5 ppm, which in some cases is insufficient to ensure more stringent quality control.

The greatest impact of the presence of these particles occurs in chewable foods such as candies, caramels, chocolates, and in some cases may even be responsible for a recall operation.

2.5 Sulfur dioxide (mg.kg -1)

Sulfur is one of the most cost-effective sugar bleaching agents, which is why it is still used in several countries to consume direct white sugar (South America, Egypt, Pakistan, India, among others).

Technical alternatives exist for the production of white sugar without sulfur, but all of them will undoubtedly raise the cost of the finished product.

The Codex Alimentarius establishes a limit of 15 mg.kg -1 in white sugar for direct consumption and international movements exist in the direction of reducing this content to 10 mg.kg -1 .

In the past, the presence of high levels of SO 2 in sugar was responsible for the internal oxidation of metal containers and glass bottle caps.

Currently, the main concern or tendency towards the elimination of sulfur in sugar is associated with possible allergenic effects, felt by a small percentage of people.

2.6 Starch (mg.kg -1)

The starch, produced by sugarcane and present in the leaves, internodes and tips of the sugarcane, is only partially removed in the process of sugar manufacture, and part of it is deposited inside the sugar crystals, a process that is aggravated in the case of sugarcane Raw (not burned).

Starch contents in the various sugarcane varieties in Brazil vary between 150 and 600 ppm, and can appear in the finished product in the most varied levels, depending on the process of treatment of the broth practiced.

The proportion of amylose / amylopectin in sugarcane grown in Brazil is little known, as is the proportion of these components in the starch present in the final sugar.

Which of these two components has a direct impact on this or that segment of the food industry has not been much studied. Lack of research, there is a lack of adequate analytical methodology to characterize the problem, and it is always easier to demand from your supplier a sugar with a low starch content. It is an open field for studies through industry partnerships and universities.

Its greater impact in the food industry is associated with the greater difficulty of filtration of the sugar solutions, similar to the effect mentioned in the previous item for insoluble residues.

2.7 Dextran (mg.kg -1)

Dextran, one of the most known and considered problematic polysaccharides, consists of more than 50% of glucose molecules linked linearly in the α - (1 → 6) position, being formed by the action of microorganisms acting on the cane, either Still in the field or in the processing of the extracted broth.

In other words, it is a product of deterioration of sucrose by the action of the microorganism Leuconostoc mesenteroides , and not exactly originating from sugarcane.

Experience has shown that, once present, the best way to eliminate dextran is the application of dextranase type enzymes during sugar manufacturing, which act to break the high carbon chain into lower molecular weight compounds. The high price of dextranases available on the market has a direct impact on the price of the final sugar.

As one of the main effects in the industry, this polysaccharide contributes to increase the viscosity of sugary solutions, or even by altering the viscosity, prevents the hardening of bullets, making them difficult to pack, increases the pull - pull effect in cereal bars, has strong Impact on the filtration of sugar syrup, among others.

2.8 Granulometry (AM = 0.5-0.8 mm) and (CV = 24-35%)

The control of sugar crystallization defines the average size of the crystal (AM) and its uniformity (CV), and it can be said that few types of sugar are produced with controlled granulometry to attend to special segments of the market.

In general, the greatest impact of granulometry occurs in solid mixtures (powdered soft drinks), blankets generally (cakes, cookies) and with less influence when the sugar is used in the dissolved form. At these times, smaller crystals dissolve more quickly, which can speed up the process or facilitate the operation.

The non-uniformity of the crystal often reflects in the calibration of dosing systems, leading to the need for a higher frequency of readjustments. As an added effect, it is added that even sugar crystals with well-formed and unrounded edges, reflect more light (such as diamonds), and cause the visual sensation of whiter sugar.

Minor sugar crystals also have a higher hygroscopicity which leads to the occurrence of higher product stoniness tendencies.

It is also added that, for the same volume of sugar, the size of the crystal influences the established dosage, which may alter the final sweetness, or even compromise the filling of packages with well defined volumes (variable apparent density).

2.9 Metals: Cu ++ , Fe ++ , Pb +++ , As ++ (mg.kg -1)

The main metals analyzed in sugar are Cu ++ , Pb +++ and As ++ for their toxicity, and Fe ++ for their participation in secondary reactions of yellowing of the product.

It is well known that Fe ++ is an active agent in chemical reactions with the phenolic compounds present in the sugar, which can lead to a color increase of the finished product.

This fact requires that transparent beverage manufacturers or those who have the color of the product in their marketing seek to maintain strict control of this component in order to guarantee the shelf-life of the final product.

White sorbets suffer less influence from this effect, since the low temperature is a preponderant factor in the inhibition of color development reactions.

2.10 Acid flake and alcoholic flake (absent)

The presence or absence of these components in sugar is directly related to the variety of sugarcane processed, period of year, climatic conditions, etc., and it has been a great challenge worldwide to produce a sugar completely free of these polysaccharides.

The appearance of flakes (spongy precipitates, "cotton threads", etc.), mainly in transparent refrigerants, causes false impression of deteriorated or contaminated product.

These flakes, caused by the presence of cane polysaccharide residues, do not affect the finished product beyond the visual aspect, are totally redissolved by slight shaking of the bottle, and may also re-form after 2-3 months of shelf life.

2.11 Agrochemical waste (mg.kg -1)

The cultivation of sugar cane, on a large commercial scale without the use of pesticides (pesticides, herbicides, etc.) is possible, but would make sugar marketing impractical at current market prices.

Currently, more than 40 active ingredients of the chemicals applied in sugarcane are analyzed in the finished product, and the results indicate, for these residues, values below the detection limit of the method currently in use, fully complying with the limits in mg.kg -1 , established by the Codex Alimentarius and ANVISA.

3 Conclusions

In summary, the industrial production of large volumes of sugar from an extremely variable raw material (more than 50 commercial varieties are cultivated in Brazil), planted in soils of multiple composition (identified more than 20 different textures of soil, from latosol Structured purple to quartz sand), insufficient and / or inadequate control of the production process, lack of technical training of available labor, among others, are factors that contribute to the difficulty of having a single product that meets the Different segments of the food industry.

The use of refined sugar in the various countries of the world, produced from the redissolution of crystal sugar and subsequent purification and recrystallization, minimizes for many segments of the food industry a large part of the problems presented, evidently at a higher cost.

On the other hand, in the largest sugar-producing country in the world, there is a well-known lack of studies on sugar, either at the applied research level or at the masters or doctoral level, which could be an excellent contribution to the food industry generally."
 
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paymanz

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It is interesting!

And I hope they only use sulfur for bleaching purpose.
 
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Amazoniac

Amazoniac

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I guess that you don't have to worry too much if it's being imported, it's usually shipped as very (very) high polarization/purity (VHP, VVHP), something like that, it's somewhat impure but still meant to be processed and refined. I guess that the main concerns are the standards of the country that's importing: if it rejects or tolerates impure sugar, not only to regulate what is acceptable to enter the country, but also to control how the industry is going to treat it.
 
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