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The extraction and production of white sugar from beet takes place on the same factory site. A sample from each delivery of sugar beet, entering the factories in Britain, is tested to determine the sugar content and the farmer is paid accordingly. On average a hectare of land yields about 41 tonnes of clean, topped sugar beet roots from which around eleven tonnes of sugar can be extracted.
- The sugar beet is washed and sliced into small pieces known as cossettes
- The cossettes are sprayed with hot water. Lime and carbon dioxide are added to clean the resulting juice
- The brown liquid is filtered
- The juice is boiled under vacuum to produce a thick syrup. Crystals start to appear. Tiny sugar crystals called ‘seeds’ are added to encourage crystallisation
- The crystals are separated from the syrup in a centrifuge
- Pure white sugar is produced and granulated
The factory operates from when the sugar beet harvest starts, usually at the end of September, until all the beet has been processed. This usually takes until February, after which sugar beet reception and processing closes for maintenance. Some of the juice produced in the process is stored and refined into crystal sugar during the rest of the year in a similar manner to that described in cane sugar refining above.
At the Sugar Cane Mill
Cane sugar is initially extracted in sugar mills in the areas where it is grown (tropical and semi-tropical regions) as soon as it is harvested. On average a hectare yields about 50 tonnes of sugar cane, from which seven tonnes of sugar can be extracted. Sugar cane is similar to bamboo and has a very tough, shiny outer coating which protects the sweet, woody inner fibre.
- The cane is cut into small pieces and shredded
- It is crushed between heavy rollers
- This is sprayed with hot water. Lime is added to clean the resulting juice
- The brown liquid is filtered to produce a thin juice
- The juice is boiled under vacuum to form a thick syrup
- The crystals (raw sugar) and syrup (molasses) are separated in a centrifuge
- Brown raw sugar crystals are produced
- The raw sugar is sent all over the world
Refining Cane Sugar in Britain
Refining takes place throughout the year in Britain, using raw sugar from a number of countries. Any impurities and traces of molasses are removed leaving pure white sugar crystals. There are various degrees of refining possible and the type of sugar produced will reflect the extent of refining. The processes used in refining are very similar to those used in the raw sugar cane mill described above.
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